Seasonal variation and health risk assessment of organochlorine compounds in urban soils of Novi Sad, Serbia

The aim of this paper was to determine spatial and seasonal variation of 6 indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 18 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in urban soils of Novi Sad, Serbia. Sixty surface soil samples were collected during both winter and summer season, from different types of locations: schools, recreational areas, residential and industrial zones. Samples were treated using the method of accelerated solvent extraction, which allows simultaneous extraction and clean up of PCBs and OCPs. Targeted compounds were analyzed by GC-ECD and confirmed by GC-MS. The total concentrations of studied PCBs varied from