Mercury, arsenic, cadmium, selenium and zinc in human hair and salmon fries in Iceland.

Hair samples were taken from 58 persons living in five localities in Iceland as well as inside as outside areas with known volcanic and geothermal activities. Hg, As, Cd, Se and Zn were determined in the samples by neutron activation analysis. The As levels were uniformly low and the Hg levels were considered as rather low. The levels of Cd, Se and Zn were characterized as normal. For comparison Hg, Cd, Se and Zn were determined in salmon fries from four rivers, some of which have been affected by volcanic or geothermal activity. Hg levels in the fries were within normal limits and Zn levels were the same in the hair and salmon fries. The results indicated that salmon might accumulate Cd and especially Se. Volcanic and geothermal activity do not appear to increase the body burden of Hg in the Icelandic population.

Chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons in fish from an area polluted by industrial effluents.

The content of chlorinated fat-soluble aromatic hydrocarbons was determined in fish from an area polluted by industrial effluents. The fish species investigated were selected among those used for human consumption. For some samples, both the fillet and liver were investigated. For others the whole fish was used. The following compounds were analysed and quantified: Trichlorobenzene, tetrachlorobenzene, pentachlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, heptachlorostyrene, octachlorostyrene and polychlorinated biphenyls. The results idicate an appreciable accumulation in fish of the higher chlorinated compounds as pentachlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, heptachlorostyrene and octachlorostyrene. Other chlorinated hydrocarbons as decachlorobiphenyl, pentachloronaphthalene, hexachloronaphthalene and hexachlorostyrene were identified, but not quantified. The total content of fat-soluble chlorine was determined in some samples before and after sulphuric acid treatment. The content of chlorine in the identified and quantified compounds accounted for between 40 and 100 per cent of the total amount of chlorine present in the samples as persistent (sulphuric acid resistant) compounds.

Selenium and vitamin E in cord blood from preterm and full term infants.

Selenium was determined in erythrocytes and serum, and vitamin E and beta-lipoprotein in serum from cord blood samples of 31 full term and 20 preterm infants. Venous samples from 21 mothers at birth and 15 normal adult women were also analyzed. No difference for either selenium or vitamin E was found between the preterm and full term infants. The selenium concentration in red blood cells was the same for newborn, mothers at birth, and normal adult women. The serum concentration of selenium was, however, significantly lower in the newborn, the mean level in the children being 64% of that in the mothers. The level in the mothers did not differ from that in non-pregnant women. The vitamin E concentration was found to correlate very well with the beta-lipoprotein concentration. This indicates that differences in the transport capacity account for the large difference in the serum tocopherol levels of mothers at birth and newborn.

Human blood samples as indicators of occupational exposure to persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons.

The value of using human blood as an indicator of occupational exposure to persistent organochlorine compounds is demonstrated. Blood samples from a total of 35 persons divided into three different groups, with and without exposure to chlorinated hydrocarbons in the work atmosphere, have been investigated by gas chromatography using electron capture detection. It is shown that the group of workers with an occupational exposure to pentachlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, heptachlorostyrene and octachlorostyrene had a higher level of these chlorinated hydrocarbons in their blood samples than did the other groups. On the average, the concentration of hexachlorobenzene is about 20 times higher in blood samples from the occupationally exposed workers than from the control group. The level of hexachlorobenzene in blood samples of the control groups is low compared to recent studies of blood samples from the general population in other industrialized countries. Furthermore, the average value obtained for the exposed workers is of the same magnitude as the general population in these industrialized countries.

Occurrence and transformation of arsenic in the marine environment.

Among the trace elements, arsenic appears to possess a unique position in the environment. When comparing terrestrial and marine organisms there seems to be a significant difference between both level and chemical forms of arsenic. The level of arsenic in terrestrial organisms is seldom above 1 ppm (dry material) whereas the corresponding values for marine organisms vary from several parts per million up to more than 100 ppm. Furthermore, results so far show that marine organisms are able to convert inorganic arsenic into organic arsenic compounds. No evidence points to a corresponding ability in the terrestrial ones. In the aquatic organisms the arsenic is present as both lipid soluble and water soluble compounds. The water-soluble organic arsenic compounds have a basic character and are very stable to chemical and metabolic breakdown.

Analysis of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content of airborne particulate pollutants in a Søderberg paste plant.

A method of enrichment and separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in air samples is described. Airborne particulate samples from the work atmosphere of a Soderberg carbon-paste plant were collected on glass fiber and Acropor filters using high volume samplers. The filters were Soxhlet-extracted using cyclohexane and extractable matter was subject to a liquid/liquid separation. The PAH-fraction was concentrated and separated on a gas chromatographic system with the possibility of mass spectrometric identification. More than 40 PAH compounds and some heterocyclic compounds having from 3-6 rings have been separated and identified. Quantitative determinations show that some of the PAH-components are 2-3 decades more abundant than recently reported data from urban air samples. The results are presented as a PAH-profile. It is suggested that the PAH-profile may be a characteristic of the process involved. Furthermore, the profile has a potential use of the profile in evaluating potentially hazardous risk of the PAH's.

The sum of chlorinated and of brominated non-polar hydrocarbons in water.

It is proposed to use chlorine as a common parameter in the study of the non-polar chlorinated hydrocarbons in the aquatic environment. Also the ratio of the sum of chlorine to bromine may be useful indicator of pollution by such compounds. Detector of chlorine and of bromine in this form is based on neutron activation analysis. Further information on the nature of organochlorine material is obtained by studying variations in the chlorine content with chemical and physical manipulations. Simultaneous determination of known organochlorine micropollutants allows the level of unidentified chlorinated hydrocarbons to be assessed. In samples of fresh- and sea-water so far analyzed, the total content of non-polar organic bound chlorine exceeds that which can be accounted for as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) by a factor of 10 to 100.