| 1. |
- Ahrens, Lutz, et al.
(författare)
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Screening av perfluoralkylerade ämnen och flamskyddsmedel i svenska vattendrag
- 2014
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Syftet med projektet var att studera förekomst av perfluoralkylerade ämnen (PFASs) samt relativt nya flamskyddsmedel (FRs) i svenska vattendrag. Vi provtog på 44 platser (totalt 41 vattendrag) och bestämde innehållet av PFASs (alla platser) och FRs (25 platser). Av de 12 utvalda FRs, kunde 3 kvantifieras. TCIPP var det klart dominerade ämnet med en halt på upp till 3900 ng L-1 (Fyrisån). 2,4,6-TBP uppvisade högre halter i åar i södra Sverige. Vattendragen med de högsta av σFRs var Fyrisån och Norrström. Den totala belastningen på östersjön av σFRs uppskattades till 38 kg dag-1, där ångermanlandsälven och Norrström stod för de största bidragen. Det ska noteras att i dessa belastningssiffror ingår inte äldre FRs med omfattande historisk användning, t.ex. PBDE. Totalt 13 av 25 de analyserade PFASs kunde kvantifieras. Medelvärdet av σPFASs i alla vattendrag var 9,5 ng L-1, och de högsta medelhalterna uppmättes för PFBS och PFHxS (~2 ng L-1). Det sammanlagda utflödet av σPFASs uppgick till 3,2 kg dag-1. PFOS överskred miljökvalitetsnormen på 0,65 ng L-1 (årligt medelvärde; AA-EQS; 2013/39/EU) på 12 av 44 platser.Den här fältstudien baseras på en provtagningskampanj med ögonblicksprovtagning, och därför ska alla rapporterade värden tolkas med försiktighet. Verifikation av höga resultat och mer detaljerade studier på platser med förhöjda värden rekommenderas. Studien pekar också på att uppströmsmätningar är nödvändiga för att finna viktiga föroreningskällor.
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| 2. |
- Ahrens, Lutz, et al.
(författare)
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Screening of perfluoroalkyl substances and organic flame retardants in Swedish Rivers : Screening av perfluoralkylerade ämnen och flamskyddsmedel i svenska vattendrag
- 2013
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The occurrence and effects of ubiquitously present persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment is one of the challenges the society is facing today. Two categories of chemicals that have gained increased public attention during the last decades are organic flame retardants (FRs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Many representatives from these compound groups have bioaccumulative, persistent and toxic properties. This has led to a ban of some of these compounds based on international agreements.FRs and PFASs end up in surface waters and sometimes also in ground water due to their widespread distribution, disinclination of getting removed at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and persistence. However, the knowledge of the occurrence, fate, and effect in the environment of FRs and PFASs is still in great need of research, especially for recently introduced compounds (such as novel FRs). The objective of this project was to provide a snapshot of the current pollution situation of PFASs and selected novel FRs in Swedish surface waters. We sampled at 44 sites (representing 41 rivers and streams) along the whole coastline of Sweden and analysed their content of PFASs (all sites) and FRs (25 sites representing 23 rivers).Among the 12 target FRs, 3 could be quantified (2,4,6-TBP, TCIPP, and TPHP). TCIPP was the predominant compound with a level up to 3 900 ng L-1. The 2,4,6-TBP showed higher levels in southern rivers. The river with highest levels of ΣFRs was Fyrisån, and the total riverine input of the targeted FRs into the Baltic Sea was estimated to 38 kg day-1 with Ångermanlandsälven and Norrström as major contributors. It should be noted that these values only include the targeted, relatively novel FRs, while historically more important FRs such as the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are not included.In total 13 PFASs were detected (PFBA, PFHxA, PFHpA, PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA, PFDoDA, PFTeDA, FOSA, PFBS, PFHxS, PFOS) among the 25 target compounds. The mean ΣPFAS level of all sampled rivers was 9.5 ng L-1 and the median 4.2 ng L-1, and the highest mean values were found for PFBS and PFHxS (~2 ng L-1 for each compound). Streams in the north (e.g. Alterälven, Öre älv, Gide älv, Lögde älv and Ljungan) showed generally higher fractions of the longer chained perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs; i.e. PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA, PFDoDA, PFTeDA) whereas in the south the fractions of PFHpA and PFOA were higher. The total riverine input of all PFASs into recipient seas was estimated to 3.2 kg day-1 (1150 kg yr-1).PFOS exceeded the annual average Environmental Quality Standard (AA-EQS; 2013/39/EU) of 0.65 ng L-1 at 12 of 44 sampling sites, which are located in all parts of Sweden (Ume älv at Gubböle, Ångermanälven, Delångersån, Fyrisån, Norrström, Nyköpingsån, Emån, Lyckebyån, Rönneån, Nissan, Viskan and Göta älv at Alelyckan).As this study was a one-time grab sampling campaign for screening purposes, all values should be interpreted with care. A screening study like the current may, however, reveal hot spots. Verification and more detailed studies over a longer time period are recommended for sites with elevated levels. Our study also suggests that upstream monitoring is necessary to reveal important pollution sources.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Ahrens, Lutz, et al.
(författare)
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Stockholm Arlanda Airport as a source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to water, sediment and fish
- 2015
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier BV. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 129, s. 33-38
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fire training facilities are potential sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) to the nearby environment due to the usage of PFAS-containing aqueous fire-fighting foams (AFFFs). The multimedia distribution of perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs), perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs), perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA) and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (FFSA) was investigated near a fire training facility at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sweden. The whole body burden of PFASs in European perch (Perca fluviatilis) was 334 +/- 80 mu g absolute and was distributed as follows: Gonad > liver approximate to muscle > blood > gill. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) and sediment/water partition coefficient (K-d) increased by 0.6-1.7 and 0.2-0.5 log units, respectively, for each additional CF2 moiety for PFCAs and PFSAs. PFAS concentrations in water showed no significant decreasing trend between 2009 and 2013 (p > 0.05), which indicates that Stockholm Arlanda Airport may be an important source for long-term contamination of the nearby environment with PFASs. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Apler, Anna, 1980-
(författare)
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Contaminated organic sediments of anthropogenic origin: impact on coastal environments
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The Baltic Sea is negatively affected by legacy pollutants such as metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are known to have adverse effects on living organisms, including, humans and were banned decades ago. This thesis addresses the dispersal of these pollutants from heavily contaminated, cellulose-rich sediments of industrial origin in the Ångermanälven river estuary in northern Sweden. Relatively thick deposits, known as fiberbanks, in the studied area derive from historical wastewater emissions from the pulp and paper industry (P&PI) that began in the 19th century. These fiberbanks formed on shallow seabeds, where they currently remain. In addition, extensive areas of the deeper seabed are covered by fiber-rich sediments. The fiberbanks contain higher levels of pollutants than the fiber-rich sediments and the sediments less affected by P&PI emissions, and the fiberbank concentrations may be of ecotoxicological concern. Metals and POPs were found to be strongly partitioned to organic material and partitioning coefficients were higher in fiberbanks that contain elevated levels of organic matter. Metals and POPs were detectable in sampled pore water, even if low sediment-water fluxes of metals were expected. Metal contaminant concentrations in sampled bottom water were measured before and after resuspension of underlying sediments, which showed that concentrations of particle bound metals dominated over dissolved forms. One out of three studied fiberbank sites was covered with a natural capping layer that probably shields the water column from metals in the deposit underneath. Studies of geological archives in the form of sediment cores show the rise and fall of an anthropogenic industrial era and the recovery of an aquatic system, but the established chemostratigraphy fails to reveal the current hotspots (fiberbanks) that will stay for decades to come. The potential impacts of climate change and isostatic land uplift are factors that complicate the long-term risk assessment of fiberbanks. These knowledge gaps combined with the lack of a common risk assessment strategy for contaminated sediments hinder the achievement of national quality objectives (NQOs) and fulfillment of Agenda 2030 goals. Fiberbanks resulted from an accelerating global demand for paper products and hence, the issue of these artificial seabed forms is an example of how the geological epoch of humankind, the Anthropocene, can be viewed in a cross-scalar perspective and be important in the management of a sustainable future in the Baltic Sea region.
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| 6. |
- Apler, Anna, 1980-
(författare)
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Dispersal and environmental impact of contaminants in organic rich, fibrous sediments of industrial origin in the Baltic Sea
- 2018
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The health of the Baltic Sea is negatively affected by hazardous substances such as metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which include legacy pollutants that were banned decades ago, but still circulate in the ecosystem. Elevated levels of legacy pollutants, identified by HELCOM as key hazardous substances, have been found in accumulations of fibrous sediments, so-called fiberbanks and fiber-rich sediments, which derive from old pulp mills along the Swedish north coast. The fiberbanks are deposited in shallow water and bathymetrical models show evidence of their erosion, potentially caused by propeller wash, submarine landslides and gas ebullition. This thesis addresses the potential dispersal of key substances from three fiberbank sites located in a non-tidal Swedish estuary, in which metals and POPs are present in concentrations that may pose a risk for benthic organisms. Metals and POPs are partitioned to organic material and, as expected, show the highest partitioning coefficients (KD) in fiberbanks that have higher TOC levels compared to adjacent areas with fiber-rich sediments (natural clay sediments mixed up with fibers) or relatively unaffected postglacial clays. However, many analytes were found to be present in quantifiable concentrations in pore water, which indicates diffusion of substances from the solid phase to the aqueous phase. To assess the dispersive influence of an abrupt erosional event on dispersion, metals were measured in undisturbed bottom water and in bottom water disturbed by artificial re-suspension of fibrous sediments. The bioavailable, dissolved fraction of metals decreased in bottom water after re-suspension, probably due to the particle concentration effect. In contrast, the total concentrations of metals and number of quantifiable metals increased with particle concentration caused by re-suspension. At one station, the total concentration of chromium (Cr) was elevated to a level where it may lower the ecological status of the water body during periods of substantial erosion (e.g. spring floods or submarine landslides). Analyses of disturbed bottom water revealed, however, that minerogenic particles were preferentially re-suspended compared to organic. This suggests that physical erosion and re-suspension of fiberbank sediments might have a larger effect on dispersal of metals than on POPs.
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| 7. |
- Apler, Anna, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Dispersal of cellulose fibers and metals from contaminated sediments of industrial origin in an estuary
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Pollution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0269-7491 .- 1873-6424. ; 266:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The boreal forest’s pulp and paper industry plays a major role in economic prosperity but, historically, caused an environmental burden. Remnants of discharges of contaminated suspended solids (fiberbanks) are continuously being discovered on the beds of shallow seas, rivers and lakes in the northern hemisphere. We investigated the dispersion of Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn from deeper to surficial layers in fiberbanks in a Swedish estuary and the larger-scale transport of the same metals to distal areas of sediment accumulation. We also tested the C:N ratio as a common denominator for these anthropogenic, cellulose-rich deposits. Sampling and analyses of three fiberbanks located in the inner part of the estuary and from sediment accumulation sites outside and along the estuary reveals that metal concentrations are regressing to background levels towards the surface at the accumulation sites. The fiberbanks show a higher degree of contamination and C:N ratios demonstrate inclusion of cellulose fibers. C:N ratios also indicate that there is currently no significant transport of fiberbank material into the distal areas. A ∼10 cm natural cap of recently settled fine-grained sediment covering one of the fiberbanks seems to prevent metals dispersing into overlying water whereas the other two fiberbanks show signs of metal enrichment and potential mercury methylation in surficial layers. Although the estuarine system seems to recover from the impact of industrial waste, there is no evidence that the fiberbanks will be remediated naturally but instead will continue to threaten the aquatic environment.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Apler, Anna, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Distribution and dispersal of metals in contaminated fibrous sediments of industrial origin
- 2019
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier BV. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 215, s. 470-481
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Industrial emissions can impact aquatic environments and unregulated discharges from pulp and paper factories have resulted in deposits of cellulose fiber along the Swedish coast. These deposits are contaminated by metals, but due to their unique fibrous character the extent of sorption and dispersal of the metals is unclear. Fibrous sediments were sampled at two sites in the Ångermanälven river estuary, Sweden. The partitioning of metals between the sediment, pore water and bottom water was investigated and the degree of bioavailability was evaluated. The levels of metals in the sediment were high in fibrous or offshore samples, depending on the metal, whereas the levels of dissolved metals in pore water were low or below the limit of quantification. Partition coefficients (KD) showed that sorption to the sediment was stronger at one of the fibrous sites, possibly related to the type and size of organic matter. Undisturbed bottom water samples contained low levels of both dissolved and particle bound metals, but when comparing measured metal concentrations to threshold values of ecological status and ecotoxicological assessment criteria, both sediments and bottom water may be detrimental to living organisms. In-situ re-suspension experiments showed that the concentrations of particle bound metals increased whereas the dissolved concentrations decreased. The analyzed metals are probably retained by the solid phases of the fibrous sediment or adsorbed to particles in the water, reducing their bioavailability.
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| 10. |
- Apler, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Swedish status and trend monitoring programme Chemical contamination in offshore sediments 2003– 2014
- 2016
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In 2003, a national Swedish status and monitoring programme for contaminants in marine sediment (SSTMP) was launched. The programme is funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Swedish EPA) with the objective to investigate the status and long-termtrends of contaminants in the open sea within Swedish territorial water and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The programme includes sampling and analyses of surface sediments in 16 offshore stations every 5–6 years in order to fit the water management cycle in EU marine legislation. The monitoring stations are placed in the largest depressions along the Swedish coast and the obtained data can be used for a number of purposes such as following up on three of Sweden’s 16 environmental objectives: A non-toxic environment, A balanced marine environment, flourishing coastal areas and archipelagos and Zero eutrophication. From the start the SSTMP has been carried out in cooperation with the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) to meet the requirements of radioactivity monitoring in sediments. Data of radionuclides in sediment are used to follow-up on the national environmental objective A safe radiation environment. The framework of the SSTMP has been designed in accordance with recommendations from both the governing bodies for the protection of the marine environments in the Baltic Sea (HELCOM) and the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR).16 offshore sample stations have been chosen to monitor pollutant levels in Swedish offshore sediments. Each sample station is defined as a circle with a 50 m radius in which seven sites for surface sediment sampling are randomly chosen at every monitoring occasion. The collected sediment is then analysed for heavy metals, organic substances and nutrients. By doing this, the accumulation of contaminants during recent years can be monitored. In addition to chemical data, geological information, underwater photographs and CTD data have been obtained at every station with the right conditions. All chemical data with additional information are available through the public database for sediment monitoring data at SGU’s web site: www.sgu.se. Data is also reported to ICES (www.ices.dk).The compiled results from 2003, 2008 and 2014 reveal that there is no general declining trend of the levels of elements and organic micropollutants in surface sediments around the Swedish coast. The different monitored offshore areas are still supplied with heavy metals and organic substances in volumes significant enough to increase the concentrations of some analytes. The levels of metals varies between the different basins. For example, arsenic shows high concentrations in the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, while cadmium shows the most elevated levels in the Baltic Proper. The concentrations of most of the presented organic substances have declined since 2008. The levels of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) on the other hand increase at almost all of the offshore stations, whilst the PAHs decrease in most sea basins. However, it is important to stress that no statistical analyses have been carried out to establish the statistical significance of the variations between years. Instead, only the concentration of each pollutant has been used to compare between years. For a selection of elements and organic pollutants there are available statistical assessment criteria developed and published by the Swedish EPA. If concentrations of the presented elements and organic substances are classified according to these criteria, it is shown that many of them occur in high to very high levels in the surface sediments. This is surprising since measures have been taken to decrease use and releases to the environment, for example most of the monitored pesticides were banned in Sweden in the 1970s. According to the ecotoxicological assessment criteria set by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) TBT levels exceed the levels that are thought to cause negative effects to benthic organisms.
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