The presence and the distribution of polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in Antarctic environmental components and the effect of the seasonal formation/melting process of pack ice on the pollution level of seawater were investigated. Seawater, marine, and lake sediment and soil samples were collected in a large area of the Ross Sea and Victoria Land during the 1988-1989, 1989-1990, 1990-1991, and 1991-1992 Italian expeditions. The results obtained highlighted a low and quite homogeneous PCB contamination of the studied area. Surface seawater samples from Gerlache inlet and Wood Bay showed a typical PCB concentration of 130 pg/liter, and an increase after pack ice melting of about 30-40%. Marine sediment, lake sediment, and soil samples showed normalized mean PCB contexts of 150, 240, and 130 (pg/g)/(m(2)/cm(3)), respectively. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc. [References: 10]
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