Chlorinated Organic Compounds in the Fatty Surface Film on Water

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Abstract
The content of chemically persistent (it. sulphuric acid resistant) chlorinated hydrocarbons in the fatty surface film on water is investigated. The sampling method is based on adsorption of the surface film to tenon sheets, and analysis was performed using a gas chromatograph with an electron capture detector (GC/ECD). The results are obtained as gas chromatographic profiles. When comparing chromatographic profiles of surface film and corresponding water samples a significant difference between the two is observed. The results indicate that the atmosphere 1s the main source for chlorinated organic pollutants in the surface, while enrichment of these compounds from the water seems to be of minor importance. Only small differences are observed when comparing pollution profiles of surface samples taken at different times at the same locality. The most predominant chlorinated organic pollutants in all the surface film samples are found to be PCB. It is estimated that the concentration of PCB in the surface film is 106-107 times higher than in the water underneath.