Levels and Distribution of PCBs and Organochlorine Pesticides in the Air, Pine Needles, and Human Milk

U ovome preglednom radu prikazani su rezultati dobiveni diljem svijeta o raspodjeli i razinama 20 kongenera poliklorbifenila (PCB) i 7 organoklorovih pesticida (OCP) u uzorcima zraka, majčina mlijeka i borovih iglica. Istraživanja prisutnosti navedenih spojeva u tim uzorcima dugi niz godina provode se i u Institutu za medicinska istraživanja i medicinu rada te su u ovome preglednom radu sažeti i ti rezultati. Vidljivo je da su se koncentracije organoklorovih spojeva značajno snizile nakon zakonske zabrane njihove upotrebe, no to se snižavanje usporilo i oni se još nalaze u svim uzorcima. Općenito, više razine PCB-a nađene su u uzorcima s urbanog područja, razine pesticida više u onima gdje je vjerojatno u prošlosti postojala njihova primjena u poljoprivredi, dok je razina HCB-a obično pokazatelj industrijske aktivnosti. γ-HCH određen je u najvišoj koncentraciji u uzorcima zraka i borovih iglica, dok su u ljudima najzastupljeniji DDE i β-HCH. Indikatorski kongeneri PCB-a također su različito zastupljeni u okolišu i ljudima te su tako u zraku i borovim iglicama više koncentracije hlapljivijih nižekloriranih PCB-a, a u ljudima postojanijih višekloriranih PCB-a. Od toksičnih ortho-supstituiranih kongenera PCB-a i u uzorcima ljudi i okoliša najzastupljeniji je PCB-118, dok su najrjeđe detektirana tri najtoksičnija ne-ortho-supstituirana kongenera: PCB-77, PCB-126 i PCB-169. Od organoklorovih pesticida DDD u svim je uzorcima određen u najnižim koncentracijama.This review presents the findings on the distribution and levels of 20 congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 7 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) all over the world, based on measurements in samples of air, human milk and pine needles. The Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health has been conducting research in all three matrices for many years, and this review summarises its results too. Significant decrease in concentrations of organochlorine compounds has been seen after the legal ban of their use, but that decresing trend has been slowed down and they are still found in all samples. In general, higher PCB levels are found in samples from urban locations, pesticides levels are higher in samples from locations where has been their probable usage in agriculture, while HCB levels are usually indicator of industrial activity. γ-HCH has been found in the highest concentration in air and pine needles samples, while in humans DDE and β-HCH are the most abundant compounds. Indicator PCB congeners are also differently present in environment and humans: in air and pine needles lower-chlorinated, more volatile PCB congeners have higher concentrations while in humans that goes for more persistent higher-chlorinated PCB congeners. Among toxic ortho-substituted PCB congeners in human and environmental samples the most abundant is PCB-118 while three non-ortho substituted congeners (PCB-77, PCB-126 and PCB-169) that are the most toxic ones are rarely detected. From organochlorine pesticides, DDD is found in lowest concentrations in all samples