Monitoring Sources and Sinks of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Arctic Environments using Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are subject of long-range transport into regions where they have never been used or produced. POPs are, thus, considered to be a global threat to humans and the environment. Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs) are still consi dered as a major POP group to be found in considerable concentrations in various environmental compartments. Within the project, it is indented to improve, optimize and validate compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) of HCHs as well as enantiome r-selective stable isotope analysis (ESIA) for alpha-HCH. Stable isotope composition of HCHs may provide clues for the assessment of their fate in Arctic environments. The major objectives of this project are: (1)Optimization of CSIA and ESIA for measur ing stable carbon isotope ratios of HCHs in various environmental matrices (2)Determination of carbon isotope ratios for HCH-isomers and alpha-HCH-enantiomers in Arctic environmental samples (3)Assessing sources and sinks of HCHs using obtained carbon iso tope data for the development of an isotope forensic concept for POPs