Temporal Trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants across Africa after a Decade of MONET Passive Air Sampling
Kevin B. White, Jiří Kalina, Martin Scheringer, Petra Příbylová, Petr Kukučka, Jiří Kohoutek, Roman Prokeš, Jana Klánová
Abstract
HCH), 9.1-26.4 (HCB), 13.8-18.2 (PeCB). Temporal trends indicate that concentrations of many POPs (PCBs, DDT, HCHs, endosulfan) have declined significantly over the past 10 years, though the rate was slow at some sites. Concentrations of other POPs such as PCDD/Fs and PBDEs have not changed significantly over the past decade and are in fact increasing at some sites, attributed to the prevalence of open burning of waste (particularly e-waste) across Africa. Modeled airflow back-trajectories suggest that the elevated concentrations at some sites are primarily due to sustained local emissions, while the low concentrations measured at Mt. Kenya represent the continental background level and are primarily influenced by long-range transport.