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Laboratory study of PCB transport from primary sources to settled dust
Citation:
Liu, X., Z. Guo, Ken Krebs, D. Greenwell, N. Roache, A. Stinson, J. Nardin, AND R. Pope. Laboratory study of PCB transport from primary sources to settled dust. CHEMOSPHERE. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 149:62-69, (2016).
Impact/Purpose:
This research is important to decision makers, environmental engineers, and researchers who are concerned with risk assessment and risk management for PCB contamination.
Description:
Transport of house dust and Arizona Test Dust on polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-containing panels and PCB-free panels was investigated in a 30-m3 stainless steel chamber. The PCB-containing panels were aluminum sheets coated with a PCB-spiked, oil-based primer or two-part polysulfide caulk. The PCB-free panels were coated with the same materials but they were not spiked with PCBs. The dust was weighed and spread on the panels as evenly as possible. The dust on each panel was collected at different times to determine its PCB content. The dust data collected from the PCB panels were used to evaluate the PCB migration from the source to the dust through direct contact, and the data from the PCB-free panels were used to evaluate the sorption of PCBs through the dust/air partition. Settled dust can adsorb PCBs from air. The sorption concentration was dependent on the congener concentration in the air and favored less volatile congeners. When the house dust was in direct contact with a primary source, PCBs migrated into the dust at a much faster rate than the PCB transfer rate due to the dust/air partition. Unlike the dust/air partition, the dust/source partition was not significantly affected by the volatility of the congener.
