PCBs in the atmosphere of King George Island, Antarctica

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous anthropogenic compounds found even in the polar regions, mainly due to long-range atmospheric transport. In order to assess the occurrence of atmospheric PCBs in the vicinity of the Brazilian Antarctic Research Station (62°05′S, 58°23′W), a sampling survey was undertaken in the austral summer of 1995–1996. The concentrations of the PCB congeners in the air ranged from not detected to 33.2 pg m−3. The lower chlorinated congeners (PCB-101 and below), which are more volatile and subject to long-range transport, predominated in the air samples and represented 66.7% of the total PCB concentrations. Atmospheric levels of PCBs were correlated with meteorological conditions and the highest levels were associated with the passage of the frontal systems coming from South America.