| 1. |
- Dulio, Valeria, et al.
(författare)
-
The NORMAN Association and the European Partnership for Chemicals Risk Assessment (PARC) : let’s cooperate!
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Environmental Sciences Europe. - : Springer. - 2190-4707 .- 2190-4715. ; 32:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Partnership for Chemicals Risk Assessment (PARC) is currently under development as a joint research and innovation programme to strengthen the scientific basis for chemical risk assessment in the EU. The plan is to bring chemical risk assessors and managers together with scientists to accelerate method development and the production of necessary data and knowledge, and to facilitate the transition to next-generation evidence-based risk assessment, a non-toxic environment and the European Green Deal. The NORMAN Network is an independent, well-established and competent network of more than 80 organisations in the field of emerging substances and has enormous potential to contribute to the implementation of the PARC partnership. NORMAN stands ready to provide expert advice to PARC, drawing on its long experience in the development, harmonisation and testing of advanced tools in relation to chemicals of emerging concern and in support of a European Early Warning System to unravel the risks of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and close the gap between research and innovation and regulatory processes. In this commentary we highlight the tools developed by NORMAN that we consider most relevant to supporting the PARC initiative: (i) joint data space and cutting-edge research tools for risk assessment of contaminants of emerging concern; (ii) collaborative European framework to improve data quality and comparability; (iii) advanced data analysis tools for a European early warning system and (iv) support to national and European chemical risk assessment thanks to harnessing, combining and sharing evidence and expertise on CECs. By combining the extensive knowledge and experience of the NORMAN network with the financial and policy-related strengths of the PARC initiative, a large step towards the goal of a non-toxic environment can be taken.
|
|
| 2. |
- Lunder Halvorsen, Helene, et al.
(författare)
-
Spatial variability and temporal changes of POPs in European background air
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Atmospheric Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 1352-2310 .- 1873-2844. ; 299
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Concentration data on POPs in air is necessary to assess the effectiveness of international regulations aiming to reduce the emissions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) into the environment. POPs in European background air are continuously monitored using active- and passive air sampling techniques at a limited number of atmospheric monitoring stations. As a result of the low spatial resolution of such continuous monitoring, there is limited understanding of the main sources controlling the atmospheric burdens of POPs across Europe. The key objectives of this study were to measure the spatial and temporal variability of concentrations of POPs in background air with a high spatial resolution (n = 101) across 33 countries within Europe, and to use observations and models in concert to assess if the measured concentrations are mainly governed by secondary emissions or continuing primary emissions. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) was not only the POP detected in highest concentrations (median: 67 pg/m3), but also the only POP that had significantly increased over the last decade. HCB was also the only POP that was positively correlated to latitude. For the other targeted POPs, the highest concentrations were observed in the southern part of Europe, and a declining temporal trend was observed. Spatial differences in temporal changes were observed. For example, γ-HCH (hexachlorocyclohexane) had the largest decrease in the south of Europe, while α-HCH had declined the most in central-east Europe. High occurrence of degradation products of the organochlorine pesticides and isomeric ratios indicated past usage. Model predictions of PCB-153 (2,2’,4,4’,5,5’-hexachlorobiphenyl) by the Global EMEP Multi-media Modelling System suggest that secondary emissions are more important than primary emissions in controlling atmospheric burdens, and that the relative importance of primary emissions are more influential in southern Europe compared to northern Europe. Our study highlights the major advantages of combining high spatial resolution observations with mechanistic modelling approaches to provide insights on the relative importance of primary- and secondary emission sources in Europe. Such knowledge is considered vital for policy makers aiming to assess the potential for further emission reduction strategies of legacy POPs.
|
|
| 3. |
- Mayer, Ludovic, et al.
(författare)
-
Widespread Pesticide Distribution in the European Atmosphere Questions their Degradability in Air
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - 0013-936X. ; 58:7, s. 3342-3352
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Risk assessment of pesticide impacts on remote ecosystems makes use of model-estimated degradation in air. Recent studies suggest these degradation rates to be overestimated, questioning current pesticide regulation. Here, we investigated the concentrations of 76 pesticides in Europe at 29 rural, coastal, mountain, and polar sites during the agricultural application season. Overall, 58 pesticides were observed in the European atmosphere. Low spatial variation of 7 pesticides suggests continental-scale atmospheric dispersal. Based on concentrations in free tropospheric air and at Arctic sites, 22 pesticides were identified to be prone to long-range atmospheric transport, which included 15 substances approved for agricultural use in Europe and 7 banned ones. Comparison between concentrations at remote sites and those found at pesticide source areas suggests long atmospheric lifetimes of atrazine, cyprodinil, spiroxamine, tebuconazole, terbuthylazine, and thiacloprid. In general, our findings suggest that atmospheric transport and persistence of pesticides have been underestimated and that their risk assessment needs to be improved.
|
|
| 4. |
- Rohler, Laura, et al.
(författare)
-
Non-target and suspect characterisation of organic contaminants in Arctic air - Part 2 : Application of a new tool for identification and prioritisation of chemicals of emerging Arctic concern in air
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 20:14, s. 9031-9049
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Norwegian Arctic possesses a unique environment for the detection of new potential chemicals of emerging Arctic concern (CEACs) due to remoteness, sparse population and the low number of local contamination sources. Hence, a contaminant present in Arctic air is still considered a priority indication for its environmental stability and environmental mobility. Today, legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and related conventional environmental pollutants are already well-studied because of their identification as Arctic pollutants in the 1980s. Many of them are implemented and reported in various national and international monitoring activities including the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). These standard monitoring schemes, however, are based on compound-specific quantitative analytical methods. Under such conditions, the possibility for the identification of hitherto unidentified contaminants is limited and random at best. Today, new and advanced technological developments allow a broader, unspecific analytical approach as either targeted multicomponent analysis or suspect and non-target screening strategies. In order to facilitate such a wide range of compounds, a wide-scope sample clean-up method for high-volume air samples based on a combination of adsorbents was applied, followed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography separation and low-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection (GC x GC-LRMS). During the study reported here, simultaneous non-target and suspect screening were applied. The detection of over 700 compounds of interest in the particle phase and over 1200 compounds in the gaseous phase is reported. Of those, 62 compounds were confirmed with reference standards and 90 compounds with a probable structure (based upon mass spectrometric interpretation and library spectrum comparison). These included compounds already detected in Arctic matrices and compounds not detected previously (see also Fig. 1). In addition, 241 compounds were assigned a tentative structure or compound class. Hitherto unknown halogenated compounds, which are not listed in the mass spectral libraries used, were also detected and partly identified.
|
|
| 5. |
- Rostkowski, Pawel, et al.
(författare)
-
The strength in numbers : comprehensive characterization of house dust using complementary mass spectrometric techniques
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1618-2642 .- 1618-2650. ; 411:10, s. 1957-1977
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Untargeted analysis of a composite house dust sample has been performed as part of a collaborative effort to evaluate the progress in the field of suspect and nontarget screening and build an extensive database of organic indoor environment contaminants. Twenty-one participants reported results that were curated by the organizers of the collaborative trial. In total, nearly 2350 compounds were identified (18%) or tentatively identified (25% at confidence level 2 and 58% at confidence level 3), making the collaborative trial a success. However, a relatively small share (37%) of all compounds were reported by more than one participant, which shows that there is plenty of room for improvement in the field of suspect and nontarget screening. An even a smaller share (5%) of the total number of compounds were detected using both liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thus, the two MS techniques are highly complementary. Most of the compounds were detected using LC with electrospray ionization (ESI) MS and comprehensive 2D GC (GCxGC) with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electron ionization (EI), respectively. Collectively, the three techniques accounted for more than 75% of the reported compounds. Glycols, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and various biogenic compounds dominated among the compounds reported by LC-MS participants, while hydrocarbons, hydrocarbon derivatives, and chlorinated paraffins and chlorinated biphenyls were primarily reported by GC-MS participants. Plastics additives, flavor and fragrances, and personal care products were reported by both LC-MS and GC-MS participants. It was concluded that the use of multiple analytical techniques was required for a comprehensive characterization of house dust contaminants. Further, several recommendations are given for improved suspect and nontarget screening of house dust and other indoor environment samples, including the use of open-source data processing tools. One of the tools allowed provisional identification of almost 500 compounds that had not been reported by participants.
|
|
| 6. |
- Sha, Bo, et al.
(författare)
-
Sea Spray Aerosol (SSA) as a Source of Perfluoroalkyl Acids (PFAAs) to the Atmosphere : Field Evidence from Long-Term Air Monitoring
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 56:1, s. 228-238
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The effective enrichment of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in sea spray aerosols (SSA) demonstrated in previous laboratory studies suggests that SSA is a potential source of PFAAs to the atmosphere. In order to investigate the influence of SSA on atmospheric PFAAs in the field, 48 h aerosol samples were collected regularly between 2018 and 2020 at two Norwegian coastal locations, Andoya and Birkenes. Significant correlations (p < 0.05) between the SSA tracer ion, Na+, and PFAA concentrations were observed in the samples from both locations, with Pearson's correlation coefficients (r) between 0.4-0.8. Such significant correlations indicate SSA to be an important source of atmospheric PFAAs to coastal areas. The correlations in the samples from Andoya were observed for more PFAA species and were generally stronger than in the samples from Birkenes, which is located further away from the coast and closer to urban areas than Andøya. Factors such as the origin of the SSA, the distance of the sampling site to open water, and the presence of other PFAA sources (e.g., volatile precursor compounds) can have influence on the contribution of SSA to PFAA in air at the sampling sites and therefore affect the observed correlations between PFAAs and Na+.
|
|
| 7. |
- Warner, Nicholas A., et al.
(författare)
-
Reducing sampling artifacts in active air sampling methodology for remote monitoring and atmospheric fate assessment of cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier BV. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 255
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Active sampling methodology for atmospheric monitoring of cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMS) was improved to reduce sampling artifacts. A new sorbent, ABN Express (ABN), was evaluated for storage stability and measurement accuracy. Storage stability of cVMS on ABN showed less than 1% degradation of the individual C-13-labelled octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (C-13(4)-D4), decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (C-13(5)-D5) and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (C-13(6)-D6) after 14 days storage at room temperature and at -20 degrees C whereas significant degradation was observed on ENV+ sorbent at room temperature (37-62 %) and -20 degrees C (9-16 %). C-13(4)-D4 formed on ENV+ spiked with C-13(5)-D5, and both C-13(4)-D4 and C-13(5)-D5 formed on ENV+ spiked with C-13(6)-D6. However, this was not observed on the ABN sorbent. Performance of ABN was compared to ENV+ through an 8-month Arctic sampling campaign at the Zeppelin Observatory (Ny Alesund, Svalbard). Good agreement between ABN and ENV+ was observed for D4 in the spring/summer months. However, D5 and D6 was found to be consistently higher on the ABN sorbent during this time period with D6 showing the greatest deviation. During the winter months, larger deviations were observed between ABN and ENV+ sorbents with a factor of 4 times higher atmospheric concentrations of both D5 and D6 found on ABN; indicating sorbent related degradation on ENV+. Our findings show that the ABN sorbent provides greater stability and accuracy for atmospheric monitoring of cVMS. Implications of these improvements towards atmospheric fate processes will be discussed.
|
|
