D 2015

Do high mountain ski areas have contamination caused by perfluorinated compounds?

CHROPEŇOVÁ, Mária, Pavlína KARÁSKOVÁ, Eva KLEMMOVÁ GREGUŠKOVÁ, Daniela BARÁKOVÁ, Pavel ČUPR et. al.

Basic information

Original name

Do high mountain ski areas have contamination caused by perfluorinated compounds?

Authors

CHROPEŇOVÁ, Mária, Pavlína KARÁSKOVÁ, Eva KLEMMOVÁ GREGUŠKOVÁ, Daniela BARÁKOVÁ and Pavel ČUPR

Edition

Torino, Book of abstracts: 16th European Meeting on Environmental Chemistry, p. 33, 2015

Publisher

Agit Mariogros, Beinasco

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Stať ve sborníku

Field of Study

10511 Environmental sciences

Country of publisher

Italy

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Publication form

electronic version available online

References:

Organization unit

Faculty of Science

ISBN

978-88-941168-0-9

Keywords in English

ski areas; contamination; ecotoxicology; perfluorinated compounds; passive sampling; ambient air pollution; PFCs

Tags

International impact
Změněno: 22/2/2016 13:44, Mgr. et Mgr. Pavlína Lolloková

Abstract

V originále

A typical representative tree species of high mountains is Swiss mountain pine (Pinus mugo Turra). Pinus mugo needles meet all basic criteria for selection as a type of passive sampler for ambient air pollution. Research is significantly lacking on determination of organic compounds in Pinus mugo needles; therefore a new laboratory method was established [1] and used to evaluate the burden of p erfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in ski resorts of the W estern Carpathians (Slovakia). PFCs like perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and sulfonates are primary adsorbed on airborne particles, while more volatile compounds such as fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) are in gaseous form [2]. Compounds bound to airborne particles may deposit on the wax surface layer of needles. This process occurs on all trees because of wet and dry deposition and does not explain the possible higher occurrence of these substances in n eedles. This study identified differences in concentrations of PFCs between an urban reference site and typical background high mountain site. Results showed more than seven times higher concentration at the high mountain site (38.708 ng/g dw of pine needl es) compared to the urban site (5.032 ng/g dw) which was normally polluted by POPs. Several studies have identified a higher level of PFCs in the blood of professional ski waxing technicians, in snow and soil samples with positive correlations between conc entrations and distance from the start of ski trails [3,4]. Therefore, high concentrations of PFCs can be attributed to the use of ski waxes and special outdoor clothes of skiers and tourists containing fluorinated membranes. This interpretation was suppor ted by analysis of samples from other selected ski resorts and final results confirm our hypothesis.