Historical records, sources, and spatial trends of PCBs along the Rhône River (France).

Brice Mourier; Marc Desmet; Peter C. Van Metre; Barbara Mahler; Yves Perrodin; Gwenaelle Roux; Jean-Phillippe Bedell; Lynn W. Lefebvre; Marc Babut

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.01.026

USGS · 70200540

Historical records, sources, and spatial trends of PCBs along the Rhône River (France).

Brice Mourier·Marc Desmet·Peter C. Van Metre·Barbara Mahler·Yves Perrodin·Gwenaelle Roux·Jean-Phillippe Bedell·Lynn W. Lefebvre·Marc Babut

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Abstract

Despite bans on PCB use since 1975 (open systems) and 1987 (closed systems), concentrations of PCBs in riverine fish in France continue to exceed regulatory levels. We present historical records of PCB concentrations in sediment cores from eight sites on the Rhône River, from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean Sea. Maximum PCB concentrations (sum of seven indicator PCBs) increase downstream, from 11.50 μg/kg at the most upstream site to 417.1 μg/kg at the most downstream site. At some sites peak concentrations occur in sediment deposited as recently as the 2000s. Hierarchical clustering (five clusters) identified differences in PCB congener profiles within and between sites. Exponential models fit to decadal time windows indicate that rapid reductions in concentrations during about 1990-2000 have slowed, and that it might be decades before target concentrations in sediment that correspond to regulatory thresholds in fish will be reached at some sites.

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Source-reported bounding extent: 43.337164854911094° to 46.219752144776876° latitude; 4.592285156249999° to 6.15509033203125° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Brice Mourier, Marc Desmet, Peter C. Van Metre, Barbara Mahler, Yves Perrodin, Gwenaelle Roux, Jean-Phillippe Bedell, Lynn W. Lefebvre, Marc Babut. 2014. Historical records, sources, and spatial trends of PCBs along the Rhône River (France).. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.01.026

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