Atmospheric dispersion of PCB from a contaminated Lake Michigan harbor

Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) in East Chicago is an industrial waterway on Lake Michigan and a source of PCBs to Lake Michigan and the overlying air. We hypothesized that IHSC is an important source of airborne PCBs to surrounding communities. We used AERMOD to model hourly PCB concentrations...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmospheric environment (1994) 2015-12, Vol.122, p.791-798
Main Authors: Martinez, Andres, Spak, Scott N., Petrich, Nicholas T., Hu, Dingfei, Carmichael, Gregory R., Hornbuckle, Keri C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
4-monochlorobiphenyl (PCB3)
AERMOD
Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC)
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF)
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Summary:Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) in East Chicago is an industrial waterway on Lake Michigan and a source of PCBs to Lake Michigan and the overlying air. We hypothesized that IHSC is an important source of airborne PCBs to surrounding communities. We used AERMOD to model hourly PCB concentrations, utilizing emission fluxes from a prior study and hourly meteorology provided by the State of Indiana. We also assessed dispersion using hourly observed meteorology from a local airport and high resolution profiles simulated by the Weather Research and Forecasting model. We found that emissions from IHSC waters contributed about 15% of the observed ∑PCB concentrations close to IHSC when compared on an hourly basis and about 10% of observed annual concentrations at a nearby school. Concentrations at the school due to emissions from IHSC ranged from 0 to 18,000 pg m−3, up to 20 times higher than observed background levels, with an annual geometric mean (GSD) of 19 (31) pg m−3. Our findings indicate that IHSC is an important source of PCBs to East Chicago, but not the only source. Four observed enriched PCB3 samples suggest a nearby non-Aroclor source. [Display omitted] •AERMOD was used to model atmospheric dispersion of PCB emissions from IHSC.•Emissions from IHSC contributed ca. 15% of the observed concentrations above water, and ca. 10% at a nearby school.•Exposure estimates from annual to 24 h averages independent of data sources for observed and modeled coastal meteorology.•Observed enriched PCB3 samples suggest a nearby non-Aroclor source.
ISSN:1352-2310
1873-2844
DOI:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.10.040