Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in soil and sediment from James Ross Island, Antarctica

Sediment PCB concentrations ranged from 0.32 to 0.83 ng g-1, while they ranged from 0.14 to 0.76 ng g-1 for HCHs, from 0.19 to 1.15 ng g-1 for DDTs, and from 1.4 to 205 ng g-1 for PAHs. The authors emphasized a prevalence of low-mass PAHs, less chlorinated PCBs, and more volatile chemicals.

They explained this by the prevalent origin of POPs in Antarctica, namely, in particular in James Ross Island, the long-range atmospheric transport from populated areas of Africa, South America, and Australia.