Þrávirk lífræn mengunarefni frá landi til Norður-Íshafsins

Dr. Rainer Lohmann, prófessor við University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography flytur fyrirlesturinn Þrávirk lífræn mengunarefni frá landi til Norður-Íshafsins (Legacy and emerging pollutants from land to the Arctic Ocean)

Ágrip á ensku

Some of the most notorious organic contaminants in the world are persistent and bioaccumulative, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (such as DDT), and per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). These man-made chemicals pose risk to humans near production and contaminated sites, but also in the Arctic region. 

Professor and Fulbright Specialist Rainer Lohmann will present the state of knowledge of such harmful man-made chemicals and discuss the science policy interface towards a better regulation, such as the current negotiations on a new UN Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution prevention. Research highlights that the fate of these chemicals differ based on their physico-chemistry: PFAS are soluble in water and enter the oceans predominantly by atmospheric transport. However, there are first signs that PFAS are entering the arctic oceans by water masses as well. PCBs, in contrast, are hydrophobic and are transported via currents. Both PCBs and PFAS bioaccumulate in marine biota, but pathways and tissue distributions differ. Within Europe, fish consumption is estimated to account for 70-80% of human PFAS uptake. In the US, new regulation by the US EPA limits PFAS to trace levels in drinking water, while the EU is debating a total ban of PFAS based on the concept of essential uses only. These developments call for a concerted effort to limit production of harmful chemicals, and limit their use to those instances, for which no suitable alternatives can be found.