Environmental fate of persistent organic pollutants in Lake Thun, Switzerland: combining chemical trace analysis and multimedia modeling

TL;DRAbstract

Halogenated organic chemicals have been widely used since the beginning of the 20th century. Once introduced to the market some compounds triggered concerns about their negative properties. Starting in the early 1960s, observations and scientific research identified the persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic nature of many highly chlorinated compounds. Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic properties have been found for chlorinated pesticides like dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) and for some halogenated industrial chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs). Industrial processes or combustion involving chlorine can also lead to the unintentional formation of chlorinated byproducts, such as the highly toxic polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Incomplete combustion of organic material is an omnipresent source for the formation of hazardous non-halogenated pollutants, such as carbonaceous particles and polycycl

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