Spatial distribution and temporal accumulation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dihenzofurans, and Biphenyls in the Gulf of Finland

Dated sediment cores and surface sediments were analyzed from the Gulf of Finland, a part of the Baltic Sea, to study the sources, levels, distribution, and total amounts of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The gulf was found to be severely polluted, with PCDD/F sum concentrations as high as 101 000 ng/kg and 479 ng/kg WHO-TEQ in dry weight. The source of pollution was the former manufacturing and use of a chlorophenol based wood preservative along the Kymijoki River. It was estimated that the impacted sedimentary area stretched a distance of 75 km away out from the coast and that the PCDD/F sum load attributed to the wood preservative source was 1770 kg of PCDD/Fs or 12.4 (+/-2.8) kg WHO-TEQ. The surface sediments contained 24-66% of the maximum concentrations present in the 1960-1970s, showing that the river still acts as a significant PCDD/F source and may contribute to the high levels in fish. Moreover, the reduced PCDD/F and PCB concentrations were partly due to the dilution by increased dry matter deposition. PCBs were uniformly distributed over the gulf, and the PCB load in the polluted area was 2020 kg or 0.14 kg WHO-TEQ.