The efficiency of wastewater treatment systems is commonly measured by the reductions of parameters such as biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) and/or reductions in levels of selected macro compounds (e.g. long-chained hydrocarbons and inorganic compounds). Less attention has generally been paid to micropollutants with high potential toxic effects, such as polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), including unsubstituted and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dibenzothiophenes, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), human pharmaceuticals and by-products formed during the treatment process. These organic micropollutants occur in wastewaters at trace and ultra-trace levels, therefore their detection requires advanced, costly analyses and large sample volumes. Furthermore, concentrations of micropollutants can fluctuate widely both diurnally and between days. Thus, in order to understand the fate of micropollutants in wastewaters there is a need to develop sampling techniques that allow representative samples to be readily collected. In the work underlying this thesis two types of diffusive passive samplers, semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCISs), were used to monitor non-polar and polar organic micropollutants in wastewaters subjected to various treatment processes. The pollutants sequestered in these samplers represent micropollutants in the dissolved phase that are available for aquatic organisms. Further, since they collect pollutants in an integrative manner, i.e. they sample continuously during the selected exposure time (usually approx. one to ca. three weeks), the results provide time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations. In addition, the effects of various environmental factors on the uptake of analyzed micropollutants in POCISs and SPMDs were investigated using laboratory calibration and in situ calibration with performance reference compounds (PRCs). The results confirm that SPMDs are good sampling tools for investigating the efficacy of wastewater treatment processes for removing non-polar PACs and PCBs, and the effects of varying the process settings. In addition, analyses of process streams in municipal sewage treatment plants demonstrated that conventional sewage treatment processes are not optimized for removing dissolved four-ringed PAHs, some of the five-ringed PAHs, and tri- to hexa-chlorinated biphenyls. The removal of bioavailable PACs was enhanced by adding sorbents with high sorption capacities to the sludge used in the activated sludge treatment step, and a biologically activated carbon system was designed that robustly removed bioavailable PACs, with removal efficiencies of 96.9-99.7 percent across the tested ranges of five varied process parameters. In situ SPMD calibration data acquired show that uptake of PACs, described by SPMD sampling rates (Rs), were four to eight times higher than published laboratory calibrated Rs values, mainly due to strong (bio)fouling and turbulence effects. In addition, the laboratory calibration study demonstrated that temperature affects the POCIS uptake of pharmaceuticals. The uptake of four pharmaceuticals was higher, by 10-56 percent, at 18 °C compared to 5 °C. For two of the pharmaceuticals our data indicate that the uptake was lower by 18-25 percent at 18 °C. Our results also indicate that uptake of the studied pharmaceuticals was in the linear phase throughout the 35 day exposure period at both temperatures. Finally, calibration studies enabled aqueous concentrations of micropollutants to be more accurately estimated from amounts collected in the passive samplers.

Contaminated sediments represent a common environmental problem because they can sequester large quantities of contaminants which can remain long after the source of pollution has been removed. From the sediment these hazardous compounds are released into the sediment porewater where it can partition into organisms in the sediment and bioaccumulate up the food web; leading to an ecological and human health concern. The objective of this work is to investigate an emerging option in contaminated sediment remediation; specifically an option for in-situ treatment known as active capping. Conventional capping uses clean sediment or sands to separate contaminated sediment from overlying water and biota. Active capping is the use of a sorptive amendment to such a cap to improve its effectiveness. This work focuses on granular materials as direct amendments to conventional caps including; granular activated carbon (GAC), iron/palladium amended GAC, alumina pillared clay, rice husk char, and organically modified clays. All materials were investigated in batch sorption tests of benzene, chlorobenzene, and naphthalene in DI water. Additionally porewaters from three sites were extruded and the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured. At Manistique Harbor and Ottawa River PCBs were identified as the primary contaminant of concern while PAHs were the contaminant of concern at the Grand Calumet River. At these sites a solvent extraction method was used to analyze the sediment concentrations of the contaminants of concern. From the former batch tests activated carbon and a commercially available organoclay were chosen for further investigation. This includes PAHs in batch sorption tests using extruded sediment porewater to investigate matrix effects, and PCB sorption in distilled water. / text

This thesis examined the use of two-phase partitioning bioreactors (TPPBs) for the biodegradation of poorly water-soluble compounds. TPPBs are stirred tank bioreactors composed of a biocatalyst-containing aqueous phase and an immiscible second phase containing large amounts of poorly water-soluble or toxic substrates. Degradation of the bioavailable substrate in the aqueous phase will result in equilibrium-driven partitioning of additional substrate from the immiscible phase into the aqueous phase, theoretically allowing for complete substrate degradation. Fundamental work was undertaken with the PCB-degrading organisms Burkholderia xenovorans LB400 in liquid-liquid and solid-liquid TPPBs. Initially biphenyl was used as the sole carbon source due to its hydrophobic nature and structural similarity to the environmentally relevant PCBs. The critical LogKO/W (octanol/water partitioning coefficient) of the organism was determined to be 5.5 and its growth kinetics on biphenyl were determined in a liquid-liquid TPPB. A polymer selection strategy for solid-liquid TPPBs was developed in the next chapter, and it was shown in the following chapter that biphenyl degradation in solid-liquid TPPBs was mass transfer limited, as described mathematically utilising the previously estimated microbial kinetics. The fundamental knowledge gained in the early chapters was then applied to the degradation of PCBs by the same organism. It was shown that the aqueous phase availability of PCBs is the rate-limiting step in biphasic bioreactors, and not the mass transfer rate. The low specific microbial degradation rates, resulting from substrate-limited growth were addressed with increased biomass concentrations; however, it was also found that an additional carbon source was required to maintain microbial activity over an extended period of time. Pyruvic acid was selected as a carbon source which, once added to actively PCB-degrading cells, maintained the cells’ activity towards PCBs and up to 85 % of 100 mg l-1 was degraded in 15 h. It was shown as the final contribution in this thesis that TPPBs can be combined with a PCB soil extraction step as a potential remediation scheme for PCB contaminated soil. PCBs were extracted from soil with polymer beads (up to 75 % removal), followed by biodegradation of the PCBs in a solid-liquid TPPB in which PCBs were delivered to the degrading organism from the same polymer. / Thesis (Ph.D, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-08-07 16:11:00.494

Industrial chemicals in European Union produced or imported in volumes above 1 tonne annually, necessitate a registration within REACH. A common problem, concerning these chemicals, is deficient information and lack of data for assessing the hazards posed to human health and the environment. Animal studies for the type of toxicological information needed are both expensive and time consuming, and to that an ethical aspect is added. Alternative methods to animal testing are thereby requested. REACH have called for an increased use of in silico tools for non-testing data as structure-activity relationships (SARs), quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs), and read-across. The main objective of the studies underlying this thesis is related to explore and refine the use of in silico tools in a risk assessment context of industrial chemicals. In particular, try to relate properties of the molecular structure to the toxic effect of the chemical substance, by using principles and methods of computational chemistry. The initial study was a survey of all industrial chemicals; the Industrial chemical map was created. A part of this map was identified including chemicals of potential concern. Secondly, the environmental pollutants, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were examined and in particular the non-dioxin-like PCBs (NDL-PCBs). A set of 20 NDL-PCBs was selected to represent the 178 PCB congeners with three to seven chlorine substituents. The selection procedure was a combined process including statistical molecular design for a representative selection and expert judgements to be able to include congeners of specific interest. The 20 selected congeners were tested in vitro in as much as 17 different assays. The data from the screening process was turned into interpretable toxicity profiles with multivariate methods, used for investigation of potential classes of NDL-PCBs. It was shown that NDL-PCBs cannot be treated as one group of substances with similar mechanisms of action. Two groups of congeners were identified. A group including in general lower chlorinated congeners with a higher degree of ortho substitution showed a higher potency in more assays (including all neurotoxic assays). A second group included abundant congeners with a similar toxic profile that might contribute to a common toxic burden. To investigate the structure-activity pattern of PCBs effect on DAT in rat striatal synaptosomes, ten additional congeners were selected and tested in vitro. NDL-PCBs were shown to be potent inhibitors of DAT binding. The congeners with highest DAT inhibiting potency were tetra- and penta-chlorinated with 2-3 chlorine atoms in ortho-position. The model was not able to distinguish the congeners with activities in the lower μM range, which could be explained by a relatively unspecific response for the lower ortho chlorinated PCBs. / Den europeiska kemikalielagstiftningen REACH har fastställt att kemikalier som produceras eller importeras i en mängd över 1 ton per år, måste registreras och riskbedömmas. En uppskattad siffra är att detta gäller för 30 000 kemikalier. Problemet är dock att data och information ofta är otillräcklig för en riskbedömning. Till stor del har djurförsök använts för effektdata, men djurförsök är både kostsamt och tidskrävande, dessutom kommer den etiska aspekten in. REACH har därför efterfrågat en undersökning av möjligheten att använda in silico verktyg för att bidra med efterfrågad data och information. In silico har en ungefärlig betydelse av i datorn, och innebär beräkningsmodeller och metoder som används för att få information om kemikaliers egenskaper och toxicitet. Avhandlingens syfte är att utforska möjligheten och förfina användningen av in silico verktyg för att skapa information för riskbedömning av industrikemikalier. Avhandlingen beskriver kvantitativa modeller framtagna med kemometriska metoder för att prediktera, dvs förutsäga specifika kemikaliers toxiska effekt. I den första studien (I) undersöktes 56 072 organiska industrikemikalier. Med multivariata metoder skapades en karta över industrikemikalierna som beskrev dess kemiska och fysikaliska egenskaper. Kartan användes för jämförelser med kända och potentiella miljöfarliga kemikalier. De mest kända miljöföroreningarna visade sig ha liknande principal egenskaper och grupperade i kartan. Genom att specialstudera den delen av kartan skulle man kunna identifiera fler potentiellt farliga kemiska substanser. I studie två till fyra (II-IV) specialstuderades miljögiftet PCB. Tjugo PCBs valdes ut så att de strukturellt och fysiokemiskt representerade de 178 PCB kongenerna med tre till sju klorsubstituenter. Den toxikologiska effekten hos dessa 20 PCBs undersöktes i 17 olika in vitro assays. De toxikologiska profilerna för de 20 testade kongenerna fastställdes, dvs vilka som har liknande skadliga effekter och vilka som skiljer sig åt. De toxicologiska profilerna användes för klassificering av PCBs. Kvantitativa modeller utvecklades för prediktioner, dvs att förutbestämma effekter hos ännu icke testade PCBs, och för att få ytterligare kunskap om strukturella egenskaper som ger icke önskvärda effekter i människa och natur. Information som kan användas vid en framtida riskbedömning av icke-dioxinlika PCBs. Den sista studien (IV) är en struktur-aktivitets studie som undersöker de icke-dioxinlika PCBernas hämmande effekt av signalsubstansen dopamin i hjärnan.

Les sources d’émissions de polluants organiques persistants (POP) dans l’atmosphère sont relativement bien connues. Une fois dans ce compartiment sous formes gazeuse et/ou particulaire, ces composés sont transportés à plus ou moins longue distance puis éliminés en fonction des conditions météorologiques par dépôts secs (aérosols) ou humides (pluie et neige). L’impact des POP est planétaire, tous les milieux de l’environnement sont touchés et les milieux aquatiques de montagne ne sont pas épargnés. Plusieurs études ont rapportées la présence de Polychlorobiphényles (PCB) et d’Hydrocarbures Aromatiques Polycycliques (HAP) sur des lacs d’altitude européens où l’atmosphère est l’unique source de pollution. A ce jour, très peu d’études ont été menées en milieux de montagne pour comprendre et identifier les mécanismes de transfert à l’interface entre l’air et l’eau. Ces travaux de thèse sont ainsi focalisés sur les échanges de POP à l’interface air-eau en milieu aquatique de montagne. Dans le but de définir le rôle de l’atmosphère sur ces milieux et de calculer des flux de POP, deux systèmes hydriques distincts ont été étudiés : un lac d’altitude (Lac de la Muzelle, Oisans) et une rivière alpine (Arc, vallée de la Maurienne). Deux familles de POP ont été ciblées pour leurs différentes propriétés physico-chimiques : les HAP et les PCB. Pour l’étude de ces milieux de montagne parfois difficile d’accès, une stratégie d’échantillonnage passive a été choisie. Les systèmes d’échantillonnage employé ont été améliorés, développés au laboratoire ou utilisés tel quel pour échantillonner distinctement toutes les formes de POP dans l’air (gaz, particules, dépôts secs et humides) et dans l’eau (phase dissoute et particulaire). Une comparaison des systèmes d’échantillonneurs atmosphériques passifs a été réalisée pour définir le plus fiable et représentatif. Ces études de transferts air-eau ont été conduites sur le lac d’altitude pendant deux périodes estivales (2014 et 2015) et un suivi de deux ans a été réalisé (2014 à 2016) sur la rivière alpine.Le rôle de l’atmosphère en période estivale a pu être ainsi défini sur le lac d’altitude et des flux d’échanges de polluants à l’interface ont pu être calculés. La rivière alpine étant un système hydrique dynamique plus complexe pour l’étude des transferts air-eau et la quantification de flux, un suivi spatio-temporel de la contamination a tout d’abord été réalisé le long de la rivière et une première approche de calcul de flux de polluants à l’interface a été appliquée. / Atmospheric sources of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are relatively well known. Once in this compartment under both gas and particulate forms, these compounds are carried on more or less long range. Then, pollutants are eliminated by dry (aerosol) or wet (rain, snow) depositions according to meteorological conditions. The global planetary distribution of POPs affects all environments and mountain aquatic environments are not spared. Several studies on European high altitude mountain lakes have reported the presence of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). In these remote areas, the atmospheric compartment is the unique source of pollution. Few studies were conducted in order to understand and identify transfer mechanisms at the air-water interface in mountain. So, this thesis focused on POP exchanges at the air-water interface. In order to characterize atmospheric influence on aquatic compartment and calculate pollutant fluxes, two separate water systems were studied: a high altitude lake (Muzelle lake, Oisans) and an alpine river (Arc, Maurienne valley). Two POP families were targeted for their different physicochemical properties: PAHs and PCBs.In these mountain environments with limited access and energy, passive sampling strategy was chosen. Samplers were improved, developed in the lab or used to distinctly collect all POP forms in the air (gas, particulate, dry and wet depositions) and water (dissolved, particulate). A comparison of different atmospheric passive samplers was conducted to define the most reliable and representative. The air-water transfer studies were realized on the high altitude lake over two summer periods (2014 and 2015) and over a two years monitoring (2014 to 2016) in the alpine river. So, the atmospheric role on the alpine lake in summer was defined and air-water flux exchanges were calculated. As the alpine river is a more complex water system for the air-water transfers study and quantification, in a first time a space-time contamination monitoring was conducted along the river and a first approach was applied to calculate pollutant fluxes at the interface.

Dans ce travail de thèse, nous avons évalué les effets neurotoxiques multigénérationnels de l’exposition des mères F0 gestantes et allaitantes aux polychlorobiphényles non-dioxin-like indicateurs (PCB-NDLi), à un profil mimant l'exposition humaine à partir de poissons contaminés, sur le développement et le comportement, y compris les réponses émotionnelles et les interactions sociales, des deux générations F1 et F2 des souris mâles et femelles, à différentes phases de leur ontogenèse. Deux faibles doses des PCB-NDLi : (i) la DJT, qui est de 10 ng/kg/j, et (ii) une dose environnementale de 1000 ng/kg/j, ont été administrés par accès libre aux souris mères F0. En fonction de la modalité d’exposition des parents F1 aux PCB, 4 groupes de génération F2 ont été obtenus, en croisant (i) des pères F1 exposés à des mères F1 non exposées, (ii) des mères F1 exposées à des pères F1 non exposés, (iii) des deux parents F1 exposés, ou (iv) des deux parents F1 non exposés (témoins), aux PCB en période périnatale. Nos résultats ont montré que les mâles adultes de la génération F1 ont manifesté un comportement dépressif-like ; alors que les mâles F2, issus uniquement des pères F1 exposés aux PCB, ont exhibé un comportement anti-dépressif-like, ce que suggère que l’exposition périnatale des souris F1 aux PCB-NDLi a induit une altération multigénérationnelle d’origine parentale du comportement de la résignation, et ce d’une façon sexe dépendante. De même, une altération sexe-dépendante de l’anxiété, a été détectée chez la génération F1 exposées durant la période périnatale aux PCB-NDLi comme uniquement les souris mâles d’âge moyen F1 ont développé un phénotype anxieux qui a été transmis aux souris mâles d’âge moyen F2, via leurs pères F1. En outre, une altération multigénérationnelle du comportement social a été détectée chez les souris mâles et femelles F1 et F2. D’une façon remarquable, chez la génération F2, des altérations comportementales dépendantes à la fois du sexe et de la dose, ont été trouvées, malgré l’absence d’effets chez leurs parents F1, effets qui dépendaient également de l’origine parentale, tels que la diminution significative du niveau de la préférence pour la nouveauté sociale chez les souris mâles F2, issues uniquement des mères F1 périnatallement exposées à la dose 10 ng/kg de PCB. Le dosage des biomarqueurs chez les souris d’âge moyen de la génération F1 a révélé une altération de nombreux paramètres biochimiques, y compris une augmentation du niveau de corticostérone et de l’activité de l’acétylcholinestérase / In this study, we evaluated the multigenerational neurotoxic effects of gestational and lactational exposure of F0 female mice to a representative mixture of the six indicator non-dioxin-like-polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs) at environmentally low doses, a profile that closely mimics human exposure to contaminated fish. The tolerable day intake (TDI) of 10 ng/kg/day and a higher environmental dose of 1000 ng/kg/day were administered by free access to F0 mothers during pregnancy and lactation. Afterwards, the development and behavior, including emotional responses and social interactions, of the two F1 and F2 generations of Swiss male and female mice at different phases of their ontogenesis, were assessed. Depending on the mode of exposure of F1 parents to PCBs, four F2 generation groups were obtained by crossing (i) F1 fathers perinatally exposed with unexposed F1 mothers, (ii) F1 mothers perinatally exposed with unexposed F1 fathers, (iii) both F1 parents perinatally exposed, or (iv) both F1 parents perinatally unexposed (controls), to PCBs. Our results showed that F1 adult males showed depressive-like behavior whereas F2 adult males, coming from F1 mothers, perinatally exposed to PCBs, exhibited anti-depressive-like behavior. This result suggested an induction of a multigenerational alteration that was of parental origin, on the resignation behavior in a sex-dependent manner. Similarly, sex-selective anxious behavior was detected in F1 middle-aged males perinatally exposed to PCBs, which was transmissible to F2 middle-aged males, via their F1 fathers. Furthermore, a multigenerational alteration of social behavior was found in F1 and F2 male and female mice. Remarkably, some behavioral alterations in F2 generation were found, despite of the absence of effects in their F1 parents, such as a significant decrease in the level of preference for social novelty in F2 male mice, coming from F1 mothers perinataly exposed to 10 ng/kg of NDL-PCBs. The biomarker assays in F1 middle-aged mice revealed an alteration in many biochemical markers, including increased corticosterone levels and acetylcholinesterase activity in male as well as females.

No description available.

No description available.

Polyklorerade bifeneyler (PCB) är en problematisk organisk förorening och består av 209 olikakongener, som sorteras beroende på antal kloratomer och dess position i bifenylmolekylen. Syftet idetta arbete har varit att utveckla studier kring de förhöjda halterna av PCB i två områden med hjälpav kongenmönster för sju av kongenerna - indikatorkongenerna (∑PCB7) - som används som enindikation av totalhalten PCB. Med hjälp av kongenmönster med de olika halterna från dataunderlaggjordes statistiska analyser med PCA och MFA i Rstudio för Oxundaområdet och Stockholmsområdet,och den statistiska analysen PMF i EPA PMF 5.0 samt en undersökning av gradienter för PCB iOxundaområdet. Ett av områdena som studeras är kring Oxundasjön, en sjö norr om Upplands Väsby som sedan år2013, efter miljöövervakning, kunnat konstateras vara ett av de mest förorenade områdena när detkommer till PCB i Sverige. Oxundaområdet har sedan dess haft ett aktivt arbete av provtagningar,undersökningar och analyser kring den troliga geografiska källan men även vad det kan tänkas varaför ursprungliga produkter och är därför ett av områdena som undersöks i detta arbete. Närmareundersökningar har visat att källan med största sannolikhet är ett före detta industriområde iUpplands Väsby, så kallade Messingen, men frågetecken finns fortfarande kring när, hur och vilkaprodukter av PCB som använts i detta område. Det andra området som undersökts ärStockholmsområdet (inklusive dess skärgård, Mälaren och närliggande insjöar), där förhöjda halter avPCB framför allt påvisats i områdena närmast Stockholms stad. Resultat visar en tydlig gradient i Oxundaområdet, med höga PCB-halter i olika undersökta matriser(sediment, biota, ytvatten) i Oxundasjön, Marängsån och Rosersbergviken, som gradvis klingar avnedströms i Mälaren. PCB-halterna uppströms Oxundasjön är betydligt lägre och en tydlig ökning avhalterna syns i Väsbyån i höjd med Upplands Väsby tätort. Därtill visades att EU:s gränsvärden försaluförd fisk överstegs i Oxundasjön, Rosersbergviken och i ett fall även Borgudden. Med hjälp av PCA kunde konstateras de ytliga sedimentproverna främst hade korrelation med delägre kongenerna (PCB28 och PCB52) men även att högklorerade PCB:er (PCB138, PCB153 ochPCB180) hade högre relativ andel i vissa djupare sediment, dessa har dock med stor sannolikhetmycket låga halter. För vattenprover visade platser också nära Messingen (Väsbyån, Ladbrodammen)mer korrelation till högklorerade PCB:er. Platser längre nedströms (Marängsån, Oxundasjön och Rosersbergviken) hade mer korrelation med lägre kongenerna för vatten, likt matrisen biota, somhade en stor majoritetkorrelation med lägre kongenerna. En trolig anledning till detta är läckage frånsediment i Oxundasjöomtrådet. I Stockholmsområdet visade biota (abborre, gädda och strömming) istället en stor blandning av kongenerna, men alla platser visade korrelation högklorerade PCB:ermedan främst platser i centrala Stockholm, innerskärgård och enstaka insjöar visade flerakorrelationer till lägre kongener. För sediment visades främst korrelation med lägre kongener i Stockholmsområdet. PMF (positiv matrisfaktorisering) användes för att närmare se korrelationer med matriserna vattenoch sediment i Oxundaområdet till sju kongensammansättningar av Aroclor. För vatten visades starkkorrelation till Aroclor 1242 (och 1016) medan flertalet sediment (uppströms och i Oxundasjön)visade störst korrelation till Aroclor1260. Aroclor1242 och 1016 är de vanligaste Aroclor (64% av allproduktion av Aroclor) medan Aroclor1260 i tidigare har setts vara en av den mest persistentaAroclor i naturen, vilket kan vara förklaring till dessa resultat i Oxundaområdet. Vidare efterforskningar behöver göras för att säkerhetsställa vilka produkter som utgör källor till PCB-kontamineringen av Oxundaområdet, med fler produkter att jämföra med samt med fler kongenerän indikatorkongenerna, framför allt i vidare studier med PMF. För Stockholmsområdet behövs flerstudier där områdena delas upp, och jämföra potentiella geografiska källor till olika kongenmönster.För bättre förståelse av PCB och dess kongenmönster hade PMF för båda områdena varit lämpligmed ett större kongenuppsättning, speciellt för biota som är en av de mesta komplexa matriserna förföroreningar på grund olika faktorer av den här typen av analyser.

<p>Air pollutants pose a high risk for humans, and the environment, and this pollution is one of the major environmental problems facing modern society. Active air sampling is the technique that has been traditionally used to monitor nonpolar aromatic air pollutants. However, active high volume samplers (HiVols) require a power supply, maintenance and specialist operators, and the equipment is often expensive. Thus, there is a need to develop new, less complicated sampling techniques that can increase the monitoring frequency, the geographical distribution of the measurements, and the number of sites used in air monitoring programs. In the work underlying this thesis, the use of semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) as tools for monitoring gas phase concentrations of nonpolar aromatic compound was evaluated using the compound classes polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), alkylated PAHs (alkyl-PAHs) and nitrated PAHs (nitro-PAHs) as test compounds. </p><p>High wind-speeds increased the uptake and release in SPMDs of PAHs and PCBs with log K_OA values > 7.9, demonstrating that the uptake of most nonpolar aromatic compounds is controlled by the boundary layer at the membrane-air interface. The use of a metal umbrella to shelter the SPMDs decreased the uptake of PAHs and PCBs by 38 and 55 percent, respectively, at high wind/turbulence, and thus reduced the wind effect. Further, the use of performance reference compounds (PRCs) to assess the site effect of wind on the uptake in SPMDs reduced the between-site differences to less than 50 percent from as much as three times differences in uptake of PCBs and PAHs. However, analytical interferences reduced the precision of some PRCs, showing the importance of using robust analytical quality control.</p><p>SPMDs were shown to be efficient samplers of gas phase nonpolar aromatic compounds, and were able to determine local, continental and indoor spatial distributions of PAHs, alkyl- PAHs and nitro-PAHs. In addition, the use of the SPMDs, which do not require electricity, made sampling possible at remote/rural areas where the infrastructure was limited. SPMDs were also used to determine the source of PAH pollution, and different approaches were discussed. Finally, SPMDs were used to estimate the importance of the gas phase exposure route to the uptake of PAHs in plants. The results demonstrate that SPMDs have several advantages compared with HiVols, including integrative capacity over long times, reduced costs, and no need of special operators, maintenance or power supply for sampling. However, calibration data of SPMDs in air are limited, and spatial differences are often only semi-quantitatively determined by comparing amounts and profiles in the SPMDs, which have limited their use in air monitoring programs. In future work, it is therefore important that SPMDs are properly sheltered, PRCs are used in the sampling protocols, and that calibrated sampling rate data, or the SPMD-air partition data, of specific compounds are further developed to make determination of time weighted average (TWA) concentrations possible.</p>