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The Danube River Basin pp 133–195Cite as

Semivolatile Organic Compounds in Water, Suspended Particulate Matter, Sediments and Biota in the Danube

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Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 39))

Abstract

During the second joint Danube survey (JDS 2) in autumn 2007, water, sediment, suspended particulate matter and mussel samples were collected from 23 sites covering the River Danube and important tributaries from Germany until the Black Sea. The compound classes investigated were polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

The results revealed no exceeding of the environmental quality standards (EQS) according to the Directive 2008/105/EC for all investigated compounds except the ∑benzo(g,h,i)perylene and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, where the concentrations at most sites were close to the EQS of 2 ng/L. In five sites the EQS were slightly exceeded, with a maximum concentration 3.1 ng/L close to Bratislava.

OCP concentrations in water were orders of magnitude below the EQS except for HCH that reached levels up to 25% of the EQS in the lower Danube. Maximum PBDE concentration in water was at 20% of the EQS.

The longitudinal concentration profiles in water and sediment suggest DDT, HCH and to a lower extent chlordane and heptachlor releases into the lower Danube originating from left bank sources and tributaries especially Arges, Siret and Prut. PBDEs showed a maximum in the middle Danube stretch impacted from releases from the right bank tributaries such as Drava, Sava and Velika Morava.

Concentrations in the investigated compartments were generally at the lower end of the concentration ranges typically found in European freshwaters.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In 1999 the city of Pancevo (left-hand side of the Danube) was heavily bombed by NATO forces. Targets included an oil refinery, the airplane factory Lola-Utva and chemical plants.

Abbreviations

AA-EQS:

EQS based on the average concentration of the substance concerned calculated over a 1-year period

ASE:

Accelerated solvent extraction

B(ghi)P:

Benzo(g,h,i)perylene

BDE:

Brominated diphenyl ether

cDeca-BDE:

Commercial decabromodiphenyl ether

cOcta-BDE:

Commercial octabromodiphenyl ether

cPenta-BDE:

Commercial pentachlorodiphenylether

CTRTAP:

Convention on long-range transboundary air pollution

DDD:

Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane

DDE:

Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene

DDT:

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

DL-PCBs:

Dioxin-like PCBs

EC6-PCBs:

Sum of PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-101, PCB-138, PCB-153, PCB-180

EI mode:

Electron ionisation, electron impact

EPA:

Environmental protection agency

EQS:

Environmental quality standard

GC:

Gas chromatography

GFF:

Glass fibre filter

HCB:

Hexachlorobenzene

HCH:

Hexachlorocyclohexane

HRMS:

High-resolution mass spectrometry

ICPDR:

International commission for the protection of the Danube River

I-TEQ:

International toxicity equivalent

JDS:

Joint Danube survey

JRC:

Joint Research Centre of the European Commission

Ko/w:

Octanol/water partition coefficient

LRMS:

Low-resolution mass spectrometry

MAC-EQS:

EQS based on the maximum allowable concentration

Milli-Q:

Trademark by Millipore Corporation to describe ‘ultrapure’ water of ‘Type 1’, as defined by various authorities (e.g. ISO 3696)

NOEC:

No observed effect concentration

OCPs:

Organochlorine pesticides

PAHs:

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons

PBDEs:

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers

PCBs:

Polychlorinated biphenyls

PCDD/Fs:

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and -dibenzofurans

PP:

Polypropylene

PTFE:

Polytetrafluoroethylene

PTV:

Programmed temperature vaporisation

SIM:

Single ion monitoring

SOCs:

Semivolatile organic compounds

SPM:

Suspended particulate matter

UBA:

Umweltbundesamt/federal environment agency

WFD:

Water Framework Directive

WHO:

World health organisation

WHO-TEQ:

Toxicity equivalent acc. to WHO

XAD2:

Nonpolar resin generally used for adsorption of organic substances from aqueous systems

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Robert Loos for his comments on the manuscript and editorial support and Georg Hanke for his support in setting up the Filter/XAD system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. European Commission-Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Via E. Fermi 2749, I-21027, Ispra, Italy

    Gunther Umlauf, Tania Huber, Giulio Mariani, Anne Müller & Helle Skejo

  2. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Parma, Italy

    Eugen H. Christoph

  3. European Commission-Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Ispra, Italy

    Jan Wollgast

Authors
  1. Gunther Umlauf
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  2. Eugen H. Christoph
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Correspondence to Gunther Umlauf .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, Vienna International Centre, Vienna, Austria

    Igor Liska

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Umlauf, G. et al. (2014). Semivolatile Organic Compounds in Water, Suspended Particulate Matter, Sediments and Biota in the Danube. In: Liska, I. (eds) The Danube River Basin. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 39. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2014_317

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