With parts of SA in a malaria endemic area, a preventative way of fighting malaria is with the use of pesticides such as 1,1,1–Trichloro–2,2–bis(pclorophenyl) ethane, also known as DDT. DDT is listed under the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and considered an endocrine disruptive compound (EDC) under the Stockholm Convention. SA registered an exemption to use DDT as means to fight malaria. DDT and its isomers are, however, known EDCs. Combined with their ability to persist in the environment while not being target specific motivates further studies into possible detrimental effects. The present study aimed to establish if ED was present by comparing the male reproductive organs from snails from an area currently sprayed with DDT (for malaria control) to an area not sprayed with DDT in the Limpopo Province. A possible endpoint (the penis sheath/preputium length ratio or PSPLR) was identified for the freshwater snail Bulinus tropicus. B. tropicus and sediment samples were collected from DDT–sprayed and nonsprayed areas located close together. The snails were dissected and various morphometric parameters measured. Sediments from the sites where the snails were collected were analysed for DDT using GC–MS. Statistical analysis showed significant differences in PSPLR (and therefore possible ED) between snails from the two areas. The difference in PSPLR values was mainly due to a relatively shorter preputium for the snails from the DDT–sprayed area. Even though the sediment samples showed that DDT was present in most of the DDT–sprayed sites and not in the non–DDT sprayed sites, causality of the possible ED could not be established from this field study. This study indicated the possibility of using the PSPLR as endpoint for ED. Recommendations are made for further development of the PSPLR and B. tropicus as biological indicators for endocrine disruption, but causality must first be established. / Thesis (M.Sc (Environmental Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

With parts of SA in a malaria endemic area, a preventative way of fighting malaria is with the use of pesticides such as 1,1,1–Trichloro–2,2–bis(pclorophenyl) ethane, also known as DDT. DDT is listed under the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and considered an endocrine disruptive compound (EDC) under the Stockholm Convention. SA registered an exemption to use DDT as means to fight malaria. DDT and its isomers are, however, known EDCs. Combined with their ability to persist in the environment while not being target specific motivates further studies into possible detrimental effects. The present study aimed to establish if ED was present by comparing the male reproductive organs from snails from an area currently sprayed with DDT (for malaria control) to an area not sprayed with DDT in the Limpopo Province. A possible endpoint (the penis sheath/preputium length ratio or PSPLR) was identified for the freshwater snail Bulinus tropicus. B. tropicus and sediment samples were collected from DDT–sprayed and nonsprayed areas located close together. The snails were dissected and various morphometric parameters measured. Sediments from the sites where the snails were collected were analysed for DDT using GC–MS. Statistical analysis showed significant differences in PSPLR (and therefore possible ED) between snails from the two areas. The difference in PSPLR values was mainly due to a relatively shorter preputium for the snails from the DDT–sprayed area. Even though the sediment samples showed that DDT was present in most of the DDT–sprayed sites and not in the non–DDT sprayed sites, causality of the possible ED could not be established from this field study. This study indicated the possibility of using the PSPLR as endpoint for ED. Recommendations are made for further development of the PSPLR and B. tropicus as biological indicators for endocrine disruption, but causality must first be established. / Thesis (M.Sc (Environmental Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are toxic, non-biodegradable, and lipophilic chemical compounds of industrial origin. In Brazil, PCBs are still used in old electrical transformers and capacitors which were installed up to 1981 when their use and commercialization were banned. However, the permission to use devices with PCBs installed up to the early 80s was maintained up to the moment that their dielectric fluids or the entire device be fully replaced for products free of PCBs. Currently, PCBs are classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) because they pollute and accumulate in the environment affecting all organisms in the food chain. The main form of human intake is the ingestion of contaminated food, especially food of animal origin. Fish are the main means of transmission of PCB congeners to the human body. The concern about PCBs is centered on their toxicological potential, especially as inducers of cancer. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the possible contamination by residues of 11 individual PCB congeners in fresh marine fish from the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. The methodology for the analysis of PCBs in fish included sampling on the coast of RS, the extraction and purification of these compounds by the use of acidified silica gel and solvents, as well as their identification and quantification using gas chromatography coupled to a micro electron capture detector (GC - μECD). Results were confirmed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC - MS). PCBs investigated were not found in all samples. PCBs 28 and 52 were not detected. PCBs 153, 138, 180, 118, 101, 77, and 81 were found in 98.33 %, 95%, 93.33%, 60%, 33.33 %, and 31.67 % of the samples, respectively. PCBs 126 and 169 were found at lower frequencies, 18.33% and 15%, respectively. The individual congeners found in higher mean concentrations were PCB 153 (184.36 ng/g fat), followed by PCB 138 (159.27 ng/g fat), PCB 118 (98.16 ng/g fat), PCB 180 (69.04 ng/g fat), PCB 101 (32.99 ng/g fat), and PCB 77 (12.95 ng/g fat). PCBs 81, 126 and 169 were found in lower concentrations (4.97 ng/g, 4.49 ng/g and 2.08 ng/g fat, respectively). Results confirm the contamination by PCBs of all marine species of consumption analyzed and can be used as indicators of environmental contamination by these compounds in the coast of RS. / Bifenilos policlorados (PCBs) são compostos químicos de origem industrial, tóxicos, não biodegradáveis, lipofílicos, e que foram produzidos a partir da década de 30 até os anos 70, quando foram proibidos. No Brasil, PCBs estão presentes, por exemplo, em transformadores e capacitores elétricos instalados até 1981, quando a comercialização e utilização desses compostos foram proibidas no país. Porém, manteve-se a permissão de utilização desses equipamentos contendo PCBs e instalados até o início dos anos 80, até que ocorra a substituição integral dos mesmos ou a troca de seus respectivos fluidos dielétricos por produtos isentos de PCBs. Atualmente, PCBs são classificados como poluentes orgânicos persistentes (POPs), pois poluem e se acumulam no meio ambiente, influenciando todos os organismos da cadeia alimentar. A principal forma de contaminação humana é a ingestão de alimentos contaminados, principalmente alimentos de origem animal. Dentre esses, os pescados constituem-se no principal meio de veiculação de congêneres de PCBs até o organismo humano. A preocupação acerca dos PCBs está centrada no seu potencial toxicológico, principalmente como indutores de câncer. Diante disso, o objetivo desse trabalho foi investigar a possível contaminação, por resíduos de 11 congêneres individuais de PCBs, em pescados marinhos in natura do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. A metodologia empregada para análise de PCBs nos pescados incluiu a coleta de amostras do litoral do RS, a extração e purificação desses compostos com a utilização de sílica gel acidificada, solventes e, finalmente, a identificação e quantificação dos mesmos utilizando-se cromatografia gasosa acoplada a um micro detector de captura de elétrons (GC-μECD). Os resultados obtidos foram confirmados por cromatógrafo gasoso acoplado à espectrometria de massas (GC-MS). Os PCBs investigados não foram encontrados em todas as amostras analisadas. Os PCBs 28 e 52 não foram detectados. O PCB 153 foi encontrado em 98,33% das amostras analisadas, seguido pelos PCBs 138 e 180 encontrados em 95% das amostras, pelo PCB 118 encontrado em 93,33% das amostras, pelo PCB 101 encontrado em 60% das amostras, pelo PCB 77 e PCB 81, encontrados em 33,33% e 31, 67% das amostras, respectivamente. Os PCBs 126 e 169 foram encontrados com menores freqüências, 18,33% e 15%, respectivamente. Os congêneres individuais encontrados em maiores concentrações médias foram o PCB 153 (184,36 ng/g de gordura), seguido pelo PCB 138 (159,27 ng/g de gordura), PCB 118 (98,16 ng/g de gordura), PCB 180 (69,04 ng/g de gordura), PCB 101 (32,99 ng/g de gordura) e PCB 77 (12,95 ng/g de gordura). Os PCBs 81, 126 e 169 foram encontrados nas menores concentrações (4,97 ng/g, 4,49 ng/g e 2,08 ng/g de gordura, respectivamente). Os resultados obtidos confirmam a contaminação por PCBs de todas as espécies marinhas de consumo analisadas e podem ser utilizados como indicativos da contaminação ambiental, por esses compostos, no litoral do RS.

L’étude a pour objectif de déterminer la qualité des eaux de surface sous différentes conditions climatiques et pratiques de gestion des eaux de surface. Trois sites ont étés choisis pour: (1) la rivière Jalle de Blanquefort, (2) le lac de Bordeaux, France et (3) la rivière Pasig aux Philippines. Les sites français présentent des collecteurs d'eau qui se déversent directement dans les eaux de surface. La rivière Pasig sert de collecteur d'eaux usées en l’absence de stations de traitement des eaux usées et collectées. Au cours des campagnes de mesure, il a été possible de suivre l’impact de la variabilité climatique (pluviométrie) et d’événements aléatoires sur la qualité chimiques (éléments traces métalliques et polluants organiques) des eaux ; en combinant échantillonnage classique et par capteurs passifs. Les propriétés physico-chimiques de l'eau ainsi que les caractéristiques des particules et l'utilisation d'analyses statistiques permettent de préciser le comportement des molécules détectées et de décrire l’evolution hydrochimique des eaux de surface urbaines et estuariennes vis-à-vis d’aléas climatiques contrastés. / The study aimed to assess the water quality of the surface water in differingclimate conditions and management practices. Three interesting sites were chosen, (1)Jalle River and (2) Bordeaux Lac both in France and the (3) Pasig River in thePhilippines. The French sites have rainfall and run-off collectors that directly dischargewater to the water bodies. Pasig River, on the other hand, becomes a waste collector aswaste management and treatment plant are lacking. Trace metals and organics(pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals and drugs) were measured. Conventional andpassive sampling approches were employed. The mass fluxes were obtained in order tocalculate the pollution transport. Physico-chemical properties and the particlecharacteristics, integrating statistical analyses, facilitated in explaining the behavior of themeasured molecules and describing the hydrological system in relation to climatevariability.

L’océan Austral est soumis à la redistribution globale des contaminants par les voies atmosphérique et océanique. Cependant, la contamination des écosystèmes austraux est très peu connue, en particulier dans le secteur Indien. De par leur toxicité, leur mobilité et leur capacité à se bioaccumuler dans les tissus des organismes et à se bioamplifier dans les réseaux trophiques, le mercure (Hg) et les polluants organiques persistants (POPs) comptent parmi les contaminants les plus préoccupants. Du fait de leur position élevée dans les réseaux trophiques, les oiseaux marins sont exposés à de grande quantités de contaminants par la voie alimentaire. En conséquence, ils sont souvent utilisés comme bioindicateurs de l’état de contamination des écosystèmes, par le biais des plumes et du sang, qui peuvent être échantillonnés de façon non destructive. Ma thèse s’est intéressée aux nombreuses espèces d’oiseaux marins (plus de 40) qui nichent au sein des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, au sud de l’Océan Indien, afin de décrire et expliquer les niveaux de contaminants le long d’un large gradient latitudinal, de l’Antarctique à la Zone Subtropicale, et d’identifier les meilleures espèces bioindicatrices pour un suivi à long terme de la contamination de ces écosystèmes. Au cours d’une première étape méthodologique, les manchots et les poussins de toutes les espèces ont été identifiés comme de bons bioindicateurs de contamination puisque, à la différence de la plupart des oiseaux adultes, ils présentent une faible variabilité des niveaux de contaminants dans les plumes. Au cours d’une seconde étape explicative, l’effet de facteurs intrinsèques (traits individuels) et extrinsèques (écologie alimentaire déduite grâce à la méthode des isotopes stables) sur les niveaux de contaminants a été évalué dans les plumes des oiseaux de la communauté de Kerguelen (27 espèces) et dans le sang du grand albatros de Crozet (180 individus dont les traits de vie sont connus). L’écologie alimentaire s’est avérée être le principal facteur explicatif des niveaux de contaminants, tandis que l’âge, le sexe, la phylogénie et le statut reproducteur jouent un rôle mineur. La classe d’âge est néanmoins un facteur à prendre en compte, puisque les poussins montrent souvent des concentrations inférieures aux adultes. Au cours d’une troisième étape, les variations spatio-temporelles de la contamination ont été étudiées en utilisant une sélection d’espèces bioindicatrices et en tenant compte de leur écologie alimentaire. Plusieurs résultats portant sur différentes espèces (oiseaux océaniques) et populations (poussins de skua) ont montré que, contrairement aux prédictions, l’exposition des oiseaux au Hg augmente graduellement des eaux antarctiques aux eaux subantarctiques puis aux subtropicales, alors que l’exposition aux POPs, en accord avec la théorie de la distillation globale, montre la tendance inverse. D’autre part, la comparaison des concentrations en Hg dans les plumes de manchot, effectuée entre des spécimens de musée et des échantillons actuels, indique que leur exposition au Hg n’a pas changée depuis les années 1950-1970. Toutefois, des espèces subantarctiques montrent une tendance à la hausse. De futures études devraient viser à l’utilisation des plumes comme tissu de référence pour l’évaluation et le suivi de la contamination des écosystèmes, en particulier en ce qui concerne les POPs. Parmi les nombreuses espèces étudiées au cours de ces travaux de thèse, les bioindicateurs les plus pertinents se révèlent être le manchot empereur et le pétrel des neiges (Antarctique), le manchot royal, le pétrel bleu et l’albatros à sourcil noirs (subantarctique), le gorfou sauteur subtropical et l’albatros à bec jaune (subtropical). Le suivi à long terme de ces espèces permettra d’évaluer l’évolution temporelle de l’état de contamination de l’océan Austral. / Antarctic and subantarctic marine environments are reached by inorganic and organic contaminants through ocean circulation and atmospheric transport. Yet, environmental contamination is poorly known in the Southern Ocean, in particular in the Indian sector. Among environmental contaminants, mercury (Hg) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are primarily of concern, because they are toxic, highly mobile, and they bioaccumulate in the tissues of living organisms and biomagnify up the food web. Seabirds, as upper predators, are exposed to large quantities of contaminants via food intake and have widely served as biomonitors of marine contamination, notably through the non-destructive sampling of their feathers and blood. My doctoral work has focussed on the abundant and diverse seabird species (more than 40) breeding in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, southern Indian Ocean, in order to describe and explain contaminant concentrations over a large latitudinal gradient, from Antarctica to the subtropics, and to identify the best bioindicator species for contaminant biomonitoring. In a first methodological step, seabirds with synchronous moult of body feathers (adult penguins and chicks of all species) were recognised as good candidates as bioindicators, because, unlike most adult birds, they present low within-individual variation in feather contaminant concentrations. In a second explanatory step, the influence of intrinsic (individual traits) and extrinsic factors (feeding ecology inferred from the stable isotope method) driving variation in contaminant concentrations was evaluated in feathers of the large avian community of the Kerguelen Islands (27 species) and in blood of wandering albatrosses from the Crozet Islands (180 birds of known individual traits). Feeding ecology was the main factor driving variation in contaminant concentrations of blood and feathers, both at the community, population and individual levels, whereas age, sex, phylogeny and breeding status played a minor role. Age-class was however an important intrinsic factor to consider, with chicks usually having lower concentrations than adults. In a third step, spatio-temporal patterns of contamination were studied through selected bioindicator species and by taking into account their feeding habits. Results from different species (oceanic seabirds) and populations (skua chicks) showed that, contrary to predictions, Hg exposure gradually increases from Antarctic to subantarctic and subtropical waters, whereas, in accordance with the global distillation theory, POPs exposure has the opposite pattern. Comparisons between penguin feathers from museum collections and contemporary samples showed that bird exposure to Hg is overall not different today when compared to 50-70 years ago, but subantarctic species are possibly experiencing an increasing trend. Future research efforts should be focussed on the use of feathers as biomonitoring tools, in particular for POPs determination. The best recommended bioindicator species include the emperor penguin and snow petrel (Antarctic), king penguin, blue petrel and black-browed albatross (subantarctic), and northern rockhopper penguin and Indian yellow-nosed albatross (subtropical). Future biomonitoring studies on these species will give invaluable insights into the poorly-known temporal trends of environmental contamination in the Southern Ocean.

Abstract In Finland there is a food monitoring program which has found elevated dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in the muscle of semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) calves. This led to further research on the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in reindeer muscle, liver, and other internal organs. The research was further expanded on wild moose (Alces alces) muscle and liver. The main objective of this thesis is to increase knowledge of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) pollution levels in the Finnish terrestrial environment, and in semi-domesticated reindeer and wild moose in particular. The research gives information of exposure conditions in the reindeer’s food chain, as well as species differences and individual variation in accumulation and distribution of pollutants in reindeer and moose. Local differences between the contaminant concentrations were explored. Toxic equivalencies (TEQs) set by the World Health Organization (WHO) of PCDD/Fs and PCBs were calculated in order to assess the validity of selling reindeer and moose tissue. It was observed that there is a species-, individual-, and tissue-specific accumulation of dioxins, dioxin-like PCB, and PBDE compounds in reindeer and moose. Varying exposure conditions mainly explain the differences, although taking into account the age of an individual animal, its metabolic patterns have a role, too. Reindeer placenta and milk proved to be important factors in the transporting of compounds from hind to calf. The highest PCDD/F and PCB concentrations (as WHO-TEQs) were observed in reindeer calves in the study area in which animals are fed in natural pastures only. Despite the findings, it was concluded that it is safe to eat reindeer and moose meat since the concentrations of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in the muscle are relatively low, and because of the low fat content in these animals. Reindeer liver, for its part, had quite a lot of dioxin-like compounds that may compromise its safety as food, at least on a regular basis. The study shows that Finnish semi-domesticated reindeer and wild moose are good indicator species of POP contamination in a terrestrial environment, reindeer describing the situation in northern parts of the country especially. / Tiivistelmä Suomalaisessa ruokamonitorointitutkimuksessa löydettiin kohonneita dioksiinien ja polykloorattujen bifenyylien pitoisuuksia puolivillin poron vasojen lihaksista. Se johti lisätutkimuksiin pysyvien orgaanisten yhdisteiden pitoisuuksista poron lihaksessa, maksassa ja muissa sisäelimissä. Tutkimus laajeni koskemaan myös hirven (Alces alces) lihasta ja maksaa. Väitöskirjatyö lisää tietämystä polykloorattujen dibentso-p-dioksiinien (PCDD), polykloorattujen dibentsofuraanien (PCDF), polykloorattujen bifenyylien (PCB) ja polybromattujen difenyylieettereiden (PBDE) pitoisuuksista suomalaisessa maaympäristössä ja erityisesti porossa ja hirvessä. Tutkimus antaa tietoa yhdisteille altistumisesta sekä viitteitä lajien- ja yksilöiden välisistä eroavai¬suuksista yhdisteiden kertymisessä ja niiden jakaantumisessa eri kudosten välillä. Alueellista vaihtelua yhdisteiden pitoisuuksissa selvitettiin myös. Maailman terveysjärjestön (WHO) asettamia PCDD/F- ja PCB-yhdisteiden toksisuusekvivalenttiarvoja (TEQ) tarkasteltaessa pystyttiin arvioimaan kemiallista elintarvikekelpoisuutta suhteessa EU:n antamiin sallittuihin pitoisuuksiin. Työssä havaittiin laji-, yksilö-, ikä- ja kudosspesifistä dioksiinien, dioksiinienkaltaisten PCB- ja PBDE-yhdisteiden kerääntymistä porossa ja hirvessä. Tämä on todennäköisimmin seurausta vaihtelevasta altistumisesta yhdisteille, mutta myös lajien metabolisissa toiminnoissa yksilön eri ikäkausina voi olla eroavaisuuksia. Poron istukan ja maidon havaittiin olevan tärkeitä yhdisteiden kulkeutumisessa emolta sikiölle ja vasalle. Korkeimmat dioksiinien ja dioksiinien kaltaisten PCB-yhdisteiden konsentraatiot (WHO-TEQ-pitoisuuksina) havaittiin poron vasoilla tutkimusalueella, jossa eläimet olivat laiduntaneet ainoastaan luonnonlaitumilla. Huolimatta havaituista haitta-ainepitoisuuksista todettiin, että sekä luonnostaan vähärasvaisen poron että hirvenlihan syönti on turvallista suhteellisen alhaisten dioksiinien ja dioksiininkaltaisten PCB-yhdisteiden pitoisuuksien perusteella. Poron maksa puolestaan sisälsi melko korkeita dioksiinien kaltaisten yhdisteiden pitoisuuksia, mikä voi vaikuttaa sen turvalliseen käyttöön elintarvikkeena ainakin usein syötynä. Suomalainen puolivilli poro ja villi hirvi sopivat hyvin POP-kontaminoitumisen indikaattoreiksi maaympäristössä; poron erityisesti kuvaten tilannetta maan pohjoisosissa.

En ny komplex aspekt i frågan om vattenkvalité är ackumuleringen av organiska föroreningar.Den begränsade utbredningen av vattenrening i Brasilien såväl som i andra utvecklingsländervisar på ett tydligt behov av utveckling av billiga och effektiva metoder för provtagning ivatten. Bristen på den här typen av metoder försvårar idag möjligheterna att kontrolleravattenkvalitén och på så vis även arbetet med att säkerställa de sanitära förhållandena ivattentillgångar. Det här examensarbetet innehåller en sammanfattande genomgång avprinciperna för den passiva provtagningsmetoden med namnet ”Diffusive Gradients in Thin‐Films (DGT)”, som direktöversatt får det svenska namnet ”Diffusiva gradienter i tunnfilmer”.När metoden används för provtagning för att upptäcka olika organiska ämnen i vattnetbenämns den som o‐DGT.Målet med detta arbete är att ta fram en metod med målet att specifikt upptäcka olika typerav nya framväxande organiska föroreningar som i de flesta fall förekommer bara i väldigt lågakoncentrationer i vår miljö. Grundliga undersökningar genomfördes för att få svar på huruvidabiokol kan fungera som den bindande agenten i DGT apparatur och verka för att kunnaupptäcka och identifiera dessa ämnen på ett effektivt sätt.Resultaten från de undersökningar som genomförts hittills visar på att biokol har godpotential att tillämpas som bindande agent i filter för bruk i o‐DGT apparatur. De organiskaföreningarna av intresse i denna studie kunde alla detekteras, kvantifieras och identifieras.För optimering av provtagningsmetoden bör vidare studier vid varierande förhållanden medhänsyn till pH, temperatur och jonkoncentration genomföras, såväl som studier av detbindande lagrets egenskaper i förhållande till koncentration av biokol och lagrets tjocklek.Detta för att kunna optimera tekniken, och förhoppningsvis bidra till ett konventionelltanvändande av biokol på adsorberande agent i o‐DGT anordningar i framtiden. / A new complex aspect in the matter of water quality is the occurrence of emerging organicpollutants and contaminants in waste water. The currently low extent to which treatment ofwaste water is performed in Brazil, and in the world as a whole, there is a considerable needfor development of cheap and accurate in‐situ sampling methods for far‐reaching studies ofsurface water quality. The lack of such methods today makes the maintenance andestablishing of sanitary safety difficult. This diploma work gives a brief introduction to thebasic principles of the passive sampling method known as Diffusive Gradient in Thin‐films(DGT). A method that could be useful for such monitoring of quality in water bodies worldwide.The aim of this study is to develop a method, for the detection of organic emerging pollutantsand contaminants – i.e. compounds, which usually are present at very low concentrationswhen found in the environment as a result of human activity. More specifically, this workinvestigates the potential and usefulness of the application of DGT devices in detection oforganic compounds that can affect human health and ecosystems, even at lowconcentrations, however, their effects still are in need of further investigations.This study focuses on both purely technical as well as practical points of views. The efficiencyof organic DGT (o‐DGT) with biochar as the adsorbing agent is examined targeting thedetection of organic pollutants and contaminants in surface water. In this sense, the specificaim of the work is to evaluate the performance of biochar as adsorbing agent. This workshowed that the performance of biochar as the adsorbing agent in binding layers in o‐DGTsample devices can be considered as satisfactory since all compounds of interest in this studywas successfully detected, quantified an identified. Further investigations in the future areneeded to determine the effects of varying pH, temperature and ion concentration in thedeployment media, as well as the properties of the binding layer in relation to concentrationof biochar and the thickness of the layer. These in order to optimize the method for in‐situwater sampling, aiming conventional use of biochar as the adsorbing agent in the future.

The thesis is focused on analyzing the current status of the technology used for cleaning flue gas from persistent organic pollutants, especially PCDD/F. For the three most commonly used methods of solution operational and energy efficiency comparison was made, where achievable energy export and the impact of the change in working conditions on the efficiency indicators of energy production and use of the energy was evaluated. In conditions we considered an alternative machine-technological solutions used for the final disposal of persistent organic pollutants resulting from the waste combustion in terms of additional operating costs and energy efficiency.

<p>Mikroplastika&nbsp; je&nbsp; sveprisutna&nbsp; u&nbsp; vodenom&nbsp; ekosistemu&nbsp; pri&nbsp; čemu&nbsp; se&nbsp; često<br />ističe značaj ispitivanja njihovog uticaja na pona&scaron;anje drugih jedinjenja u vodi.<br />Pod pojmom mikroplastika podrazumevaju se plastične čestice manje od 5 mm.<br />Imajući u vidu potrebu za unapređenjem znanja o &scaron;tetnom uticaju mikroplastike<br />u životnoj sredini u ovom radu sproveden je set eksperimenata u kom je ispitivan<br />mehanizam&nbsp; interakcija&nbsp; koje&nbsp; se&nbsp; uspostavljaju&nbsp; prilikom&nbsp; adsorpcije&nbsp; hlorovanih<br />fenola,&nbsp; derivata&nbsp; benzena&nbsp; i&nbsp; policikličnih&nbsp; aromatičnih&nbsp; ugljovodonika&nbsp; na mikroplastici&nbsp; u&nbsp; vodenom&nbsp; matriksu.&nbsp; Kako&nbsp; bi&nbsp; se&nbsp; &scaron;to&nbsp; detaljnije&nbsp; razumeo&nbsp; uticaj mikroplastike&nbsp; i&nbsp; osobina&nbsp; vodenog&nbsp; matriksa&nbsp; na&nbsp; pona&scaron;anje&nbsp; organskih&nbsp; polutanata, laboratorijska ispitivanja su sprovedena u sintetičkom i realnom vodenommatriksu.&nbsp; Takođe&nbsp; je&nbsp; sprovedena&nbsp; optimizacija&nbsp; izolovanja&nbsp; i&nbsp; karakterizacije mikroplastike iz kozmetičkih sredstava u cilju procene uticaja osobina primarne mikroplastike na uspostavljanje interakcija sa organskim polutantima. Na&nbsp; osnovu&nbsp; dobijenih&nbsp; rezultata&nbsp; istraživanja&nbsp; može&nbsp; se&nbsp; zaključiti&nbsp; da&nbsp; se optimalna metoda izolovanja mikroplastike iz kozmetičkih sredstava zasniva na dodatnom&nbsp; tretiranju&nbsp; osu&scaron;enog&nbsp; materijala&nbsp; 30%&nbsp; vodonik-peroksidom,&nbsp; nakon ekstrakcije&nbsp; sredstva&nbsp; u&nbsp; destilovanoj&nbsp; vodi,&nbsp; u&nbsp; cilju&nbsp; dobijanja&nbsp; čistijih&nbsp; uzoraka mikroplastike. Promena brzine me&scaron;anja ima znčajan uticaj na promenu stepena adsorpcije ispitivanih grupa organskih jedinjenja.&nbsp; Uticaj se ogleda u povećanju stepena adsorpcije sa porastom brzine me&scaron;anja, a maksimalni procenat adsorpcije postignut&nbsp; je&nbsp; pri&nbsp; brzini&nbsp; me&scaron;anja&nbsp; od&nbsp; 150&nbsp; o/min.&nbsp; Dodatno,&nbsp; disperzija&nbsp; pra&scaron;kastih materijala u vodi nema značajan uticaj na promenu stepena adsorpcije hlorovanih fenola,&nbsp; derivata&nbsp; benzena&nbsp; i&nbsp; policikličnih&nbsp; aromatičnih&nbsp; ugljovodonika&nbsp; na mikroplastici.Ravnotežno&nbsp; stanje&nbsp; između&nbsp; koncentracije&nbsp; hlorovanih&nbsp; fenola,&nbsp; derivata<br />benzena&nbsp; i&nbsp; policikličnih&nbsp; aromatičnih&nbsp; ugljovodonika&nbsp; u&nbsp; vodi&nbsp; i&nbsp; odabranih predstavnika&nbsp; mikroplastike&nbsp; (PEp,&nbsp; PE_PCPs_1,&nbsp; PE_PCPs_2,&nbsp; PEg,&nbsp; PET,&nbsp; PP&nbsp; i PLA) uspostavlja se nakon 24 i 48 h kontakta u zavisnosti od vrste jedinjenja. Na promenu&nbsp; adsorpcionog&nbsp; afiniteta&nbsp; hlorovanih&nbsp; fenola,&nbsp; derivata&nbsp; benzena&nbsp; i policikličnih aromatičnih ugljovodonika prema mikroplastici utiču kako fizičkohemijske&nbsp; osobine&nbsp; jedinjenja&nbsp; tako&nbsp; i&nbsp; karakteristike&nbsp; mikroplastike.&nbsp; Na&nbsp; osnovu kinetičkih&nbsp; eksperimenata, najveći adsorpcioni afinitet ka mikroplastici&nbsp; ispoljili su&nbsp; derivati&nbsp; benzena&nbsp; (qt=103-350&nbsp; &micro;g/g),&nbsp; dok&nbsp; je&nbsp; najmanji&nbsp; uočen&nbsp; kod&nbsp; hlorovanih fenola&nbsp; (qt=25-225&nbsp; &micro;g/g).&nbsp; Dobijeni&nbsp; rezultati&nbsp; adsorpcije&nbsp; derivata&nbsp; benzena&nbsp; na ispitivanim&nbsp; česticama&nbsp; mikroplastike&nbsp; takođe&nbsp; su&nbsp; ukazali&nbsp; na&nbsp; veći&nbsp; afinitet&nbsp; ovih jedinjenja&nbsp; ka&nbsp; mikroplastici,&nbsp; u&nbsp; poređenju&nbsp; sa&nbsp; jedinjenjima&nbsp; iz&nbsp; grupe&nbsp; policikličnih aromatičnih&nbsp; ugljovodonika&nbsp; i&nbsp; hlorovanih&nbsp; fenola&nbsp; sličnih&nbsp; logKow&nbsp; vrednosti. Dodatno,&nbsp; uticaj&nbsp; vodenog&nbsp; matriksa&nbsp; na&nbsp; adsorpciju&nbsp; hlorovanih&nbsp; fenola,&nbsp; derivata benzena&nbsp; i&nbsp; policikličnih&nbsp; aromatičnih&nbsp; ugljovodonika&nbsp; na&nbsp; mikroplastici&nbsp; zavisi&nbsp; od same grupe jedinjenja kao i od vrste mikroplastike pri čemu je najmanje izražen u&nbsp; slučaju&nbsp; ispitivanih&nbsp; policikličnih&nbsp; aromatičnih&nbsp; ugljovodonika,&nbsp; a&nbsp; najvi&scaron;e&nbsp; kod hlorovanih fenola.Visoke&nbsp; vrednosti&nbsp; koeficijenta&nbsp; determinacije&nbsp; kinetičkog&nbsp; modela&nbsp; pseudodrugog&nbsp; reda&nbsp; za&nbsp; adsorpciju&nbsp; hlorovanih&nbsp; fenola,&nbsp; derivata&nbsp; benzena&nbsp; i&nbsp; policikličnih aromatičnih ugljovodonika na čestice mikroplastike ukazjuju da je hemisorpcija mogući&nbsp; mehanizam.&nbsp; Pored&nbsp; visokih&nbsp; vrednosti&nbsp; koeficijenata&nbsp; determinacije&nbsp; u slučaju svih odabranih organskih jedninjenja dobijena konstanta brzine drugog reda&nbsp; bila&nbsp; je&nbsp; manja&nbsp; od&nbsp; po četne&nbsp; brzine&nbsp; adsorpcije&nbsp; &scaron;to&nbsp; ukazuje&nbsp; na&nbsp; znatno&nbsp; brže odvijanje&nbsp; adsorpcije&nbsp; pri&nbsp; kraćim&nbsp; vremenima&nbsp; kontakta&nbsp; (12-24&nbsp; h)&nbsp; nakon&nbsp; čega&nbsp; je<br />dolazilo do usporavanja procesa adsorpcije.Mehanizam adsorpcije hlorovanih fenola, derivata benzena i policikličnih aromatičnih ugljovodonika&nbsp; ispitivan&nbsp; je primenom Freundlich-ovog, Langmuirovog,&nbsp; Redlich-Peterson-ovog&nbsp; i&nbsp; Dubinine-Radusckevich-evog&nbsp; adsorpcionog modela. Vrednosti Freundlich-ovog eksponenta za adsorpciju hlorovanih fenola, derivata benzena i&nbsp; policikličnih aromatičnih ugljovodonika bile su manje od 1,<br />&scaron;to ukazuje na to da je slobodna energije adsorpcije na mikroplastci opadala sa povećanjem&nbsp; inicijalne&nbsp; koncetracije&nbsp; ispitivanih&nbsp; polutanata.&nbsp; Vrednosti maksimalnog adsorpcionog kapaciteta dobijene za&nbsp; adsorpcione procese PAH&nbsp; na česticama mikroplastike bile su u opsegu od 29,7-2596,5 &micro;g/g. Visoke vrednosti maksimalnih adsorpcionih kapaciteta dobijene su takođe za adsorpciju derivata benzena na ispitivanim vrstama mikroplastike&nbsp; 39,3-2010,1 &micro;g/g. S druge strane, uočeno&nbsp; je&nbsp; različito&nbsp; adsorpciono&nbsp; pon&scaron;anje&nbsp; hlorovanih&nbsp; fenola&nbsp; u&nbsp; zavisnosti&nbsp; od vodenog metriksa u kom su eksperimenti sprovedeni pri čemu su&nbsp; qmax&nbsp; vrednosti iznosile 20,00-205,6 &micro;g/g. Značajan uticaj&nbsp; pH vrednosti vodenog matriksa&nbsp; utvrđen je&nbsp; za adsorpciju hlorovanih&nbsp; fenola&nbsp; na&nbsp; mikroplastici,&nbsp; dok&nbsp; u&nbsp; slučaju&nbsp; derivata&nbsp; benzena&nbsp; i&nbsp; PAH promena pH vrednosti vodenog matriksa nije pokazala značajan uticaj. Rezultati dobijeni&nbsp; za&nbsp; adsorpciju&nbsp; hlorovanih&nbsp; fenola&nbsp; na&nbsp; mikroplastici&nbsp; ukazuju&nbsp; na&nbsp; nižu tendenciju&nbsp; ka&nbsp; formiranju&nbsp; interakcija&nbsp; hlorovanih&nbsp; fenola&nbsp; sa&nbsp; česticama mikroplastike pri pH 4 i pH 10, pri čemu se stepen adsorpcije kretao u opsegu od 8-35% i 15-35%, respektivno, u odnosu na pH 7 (55-65%). Najniži&nbsp; adsorpcioni&nbsp; afinitet&nbsp; uočava&nbsp; se&nbsp; pri&nbsp; adsorpciji&nbsp; ispitivanih&nbsp; grupa jedinjenja na PLA. Može se pretpostaviti da će se organski polutanti,&nbsp;&nbsp; ukoliko ova vrsta mikroplastike dospe u vodene sisteme, slabo vezivati na ovaj materijal pri čemu će značajno manje uticati na njihov trasport kroz životnu sredinu, u odnosu<br />na druge ispitivane vrste mikroplastike. Na&nbsp; osnovu&nbsp; dobijenih&nbsp; rezultata&nbsp; istraživanja&nbsp; može&nbsp; se&nbsp; zaključiti&nbsp; da&nbsp; na adsorpciju ispitivanih grupa organskih jedinjenja i mikroplastike značajan uticaj imaju&nbsp; fizičko-hemijske&nbsp; osobine&nbsp; ispitivanih&nbsp; jedinjenja&nbsp; kao&nbsp; &scaron;to&nbsp; su&nbsp; kiselinska konstanta, veličina molekula, hidrofobnost, stukturni raspored i dr. Pored toga, karakteristike vodenog matriksa, među kojima je najvažnija pH vrednost, imaju značajan&nbsp; uticaj&nbsp; na&nbsp; adsorpcioni&nbsp; afinitet&nbsp; jedinjenja&nbsp; ka&nbsp; mikroplastici.&nbsp; Dodatno,<br />struktura&nbsp; i&nbsp; poreklo&nbsp; polimera&nbsp; ima&nbsp; veliki&nbsp; uticaj&nbsp; na&nbsp; formiranje&nbsp; interakcija&nbsp; sa<br />ispitivanim grupama organskih polutanata. Dobijeni rezultati takođe ukazuju na<br />nemogućnost&nbsp; određivanje&nbsp; unifomnog&nbsp; mehanizma&nbsp; adsorpcije&nbsp; organskih<br />jedinjenja na česticama mikroplastike u vodi.</p> / <p>Microplastics&nbsp; are&nbsp; ubiquitous&nbsp; in&nbsp; aquatic&nbsp; ecosystems,&nbsp; so&nbsp; it&nbsp; is&nbsp; essential&nbsp; to study their&nbsp; impact on the behaviour of other compounds which are commonly present in water. The term microplastics refers to all plastic particles smaller than 5 mm. In order&nbsp; to address knowledge gaps relating to the potential harmful effects of microplastics in the environment, the experiments conducted during this thesis were designed to investigate the adsorption mechanism of chlorinated phenols, benzene derivatives, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on microplastics in water.&nbsp; To&nbsp; provide&nbsp; a&nbsp; more&nbsp; detailed&nbsp; understanding&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; influence&nbsp; of&nbsp; different water&nbsp; matrices&nbsp; on&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; properties&nbsp; of&nbsp; microplastics,&nbsp; experiments&nbsp; were conducted in both synthetic and real water matrices. In the course of this work, methods were optimised for the isolation and characterization of microplastifrom personal care products, in order to allow investigation&nbsp; of the influence of the&nbsp; properties&nbsp; of&nbsp; primary&nbsp; microplastics&nbsp; on&nbsp; their&nbsp; interactions&nbsp; with&nbsp; organic pollutants.Base on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the optimal method of isolating microplastics from personal care products is based&nbsp; on treating already dried&nbsp; material&nbsp; with&nbsp; 30%&nbsp; hydrogen&nbsp; peroxide,&nbsp; after&nbsp; extraction&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; agent&nbsp; in distilled water, in order to obtain cleaner microplastic samples. The mixing rate was&nbsp; found&nbsp; to&nbsp; have&nbsp; a&nbsp; significant&nbsp; effect&nbsp; on&nbsp; the&nbsp; degree&nbsp; of&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; of&nbsp; the investigated&nbsp; organic&nbsp; compounds.&nbsp; Increasing&nbsp; the&nbsp; mixing&nbsp; speed&nbsp; led&nbsp; to&nbsp; a&nbsp; higher<br />degree&nbsp; of&nbsp; adsorption,&nbsp; with&nbsp; the&nbsp; maximum&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; percentage&nbsp; reached&nbsp; at&nbsp; a<br />mixing speed of 150 rpm. In addition, the dispersion of powdered materials in the&nbsp; water&nbsp; had&nbsp; no&nbsp; significant&nbsp; effect&nbsp; on the&nbsp; degree&nbsp; of&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; of&nbsp; chlorinated phenols,&nbsp; benzene&nbsp; derivatives,&nbsp; and&nbsp; polycyclic&nbsp; aromatic&nbsp; hydrocarbons&nbsp; on microplastics.<br />The&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; equilibrium&nbsp; between&nbsp; the&nbsp; concentration&nbsp; of&nbsp; chlorinated phenols,&nbsp; benzene derivatives and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water and selected types of microplastics (PEp, PE_PCPs_1, PE_PCPs_2, PEg, PET, PP, and&nbsp; PLA) was established after 24 and 48 h of contact time, depending on the selected&nbsp; group&nbsp; of&nbsp; organic&nbsp; pollutants.&nbsp; The&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; affinity&nbsp; of&nbsp; chlorinated phenols,&nbsp; benzene&nbsp; derivatives,&nbsp; and&nbsp; polycyclic&nbsp; aromatic&nbsp; hydrocarbons&nbsp; towards microplastics&nbsp; was&nbsp; influenced&nbsp; by&nbsp; both&nbsp; the&nbsp; physicochemical&nbsp; properties&nbsp; of&nbsp; the compounds&nbsp; and&nbsp; the&nbsp; characteristics&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; microplastics.&nbsp; Based&nbsp; on&nbsp; the&nbsp; kinetic experiments,&nbsp; the&nbsp; highest&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; affinity&nbsp; for&nbsp; microplastics&nbsp; was&nbsp; shown&nbsp; by benzene derivatives (qt=103-350 &micro;g/g), while the lowest was&nbsp; observed during the adsorption of chlorinated phenols (qt=25-225 &micro;g/g). Benzene derivatives showed higher&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; affinities&nbsp; for&nbsp; the&nbsp; selected&nbsp; microplastic&nbsp; particles&nbsp; than&nbsp; the polycyclic&nbsp; aromatic&nbsp; hydrocarbons&nbsp; and&nbsp; &nbsp; chlorinated&nbsp; phenols&nbsp; which&nbsp; had&nbsp; similar logKow&nbsp; values. The influence of the water matrix on adsorption of chlorinated phenols,&nbsp; benzene&nbsp; derivatives,&nbsp; and&nbsp; polycyclic&nbsp; aromatic&nbsp; hydrocarbons&nbsp; on microplastics&nbsp; depended&nbsp; on&nbsp; the&nbsp; specific&nbsp; functional&nbsp; groups&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; investigated compounds as well as on the type of microplastics. Water matrix had little impact on&nbsp; the&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; of&nbsp; polycyclic&nbsp; aromatic&nbsp; hydrocarbons&nbsp; on&nbsp; microplastics&nbsp; but greatly impacted the adsorption of chlorinated phenols. Fitting the pseudo-second order kinetic&nbsp; model to the&nbsp; adsorption data of chlorinated phenols, benzene derivatives, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on microplastic particles resulted in high correlation coefficients, indicating that chemisorption&nbsp; is&nbsp; the&nbsp; likely&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; mechanism.&nbsp; In&nbsp; addition&nbsp; to&nbsp; the&nbsp; high correlation coefficients obtained for all the organic pollutants investigated, the pseudo-second order rate constants obtained were lower than the initiaadsorption rate, indicating significantly faster adsorption at shorter contact times (12-24 h), with adsorption slowing down as equilibrium was reached.The adsorption mechanism of chlorinated phenols, benzene derivatives,<br />and&nbsp; polycyclic&nbsp; aromatic&nbsp; hydrocarbons&nbsp; was&nbsp; investigated&nbsp; using Freundlich,Langmuir,&nbsp; Redlich-Peterson,&nbsp; Dubinine-Radusckevich,&nbsp; and&nbsp; Temkin&nbsp; adsorption models.&nbsp; The&nbsp; Freundlich&nbsp; exponent&nbsp; values&nbsp; for&nbsp; the&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; of&nbsp; chlorinated phenols, benzene&nbsp; derivatives, and polycyclic&nbsp; aromatic&nbsp; hydrocarbons were&nbsp; less than 1 which indicates that the free energy of adsorption of these compounds on microplastics&nbsp; decreases&nbsp; as&nbsp; the&nbsp; initial&nbsp; concentration&nbsp; increases.&nbsp; The&nbsp; maximum adsorption capacities of PAHs on microplastic particles were in the range of 29.7-2596.5&nbsp; &micro;g/g.&nbsp; High&nbsp; maximum&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; capacities&nbsp; were&nbsp; also obtained&nbsp; for the adsorption&nbsp; of&nbsp; benzene&nbsp; derivatives&nbsp; on&nbsp; the&nbsp; tested&nbsp; types&nbsp; of&nbsp; microplastics:&nbsp; 39.3-2010.1&nbsp; &micro;g/g.&nbsp; The&nbsp; chlorinated&nbsp; phenols&nbsp; behaved&nbsp; differently,&nbsp; and&nbsp; were&nbsp; more effected by the water matrix, with qmax values in&nbsp; the range 20.00-205.6 &micro;g/g. The pH of the water matrix was found to have a significant effect on the adsorption&nbsp; of&nbsp; chlorinated&nbsp; phenols&nbsp; on&nbsp; microplastics,&nbsp; whereas&nbsp; in&nbsp; the&nbsp; case&nbsp; of benzene&nbsp; derivatives&nbsp; and&nbsp; polycyclic&nbsp; aromatic&nbsp; hydrocarbons,&nbsp; the&nbsp; degree&nbsp; of<br />adsorption&nbsp; was&nbsp; largely&nbsp; independent&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; water&nbsp; pH.&nbsp; For&nbsp; the&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; of chlorinated&nbsp; phenols&nbsp; on&nbsp; microplastics,&nbsp; neutral&nbsp; pH&nbsp; conditions&nbsp; resulted&nbsp; in&nbsp; the greatest degrees of adsorption (55-65% at pH 7), while adsorption was inhibited under acidic (8-35% at pH 4) and basic (15-35% at pH 10) conditions. The microplastic type with the lowest observed adsorption affinities was PLA. It can be thus be assumed that in the event that this type of microplastic enters water systems, organic pollutants will only adsorb weakly to this material, such&nbsp; that&nbsp; it&nbsp; will&nbsp; have&nbsp; significantly&nbsp; less&nbsp; impact&nbsp; on&nbsp; the&nbsp; transport&nbsp; of&nbsp; the se compounds through the environment, than the other tested&nbsp; types of microplastics. The results obtained in this research demonstrate that the adsorption of the selected&nbsp; groups&nbsp; of&nbsp; organic&nbsp; pollutants&nbsp; on&nbsp; the&nbsp; microplastics&nbsp; investigated&nbsp; is significantly&nbsp; controlled&nbsp; by&nbsp; the&nbsp; physicochemical&nbsp; properties&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; tested compounds, such as the dissociation constant, molecule&nbsp; size, hydrophobicity,<br />structural properties, etc. In addition, the characteristics of the water matrix play an important role in controlling adsorption of organic pollutants on microplastic, especially the water pH. In addition, the structure and aging of the polymers had a major influence&nbsp; on their interactions with the selected organic pollutants. The obtained&nbsp; results&nbsp; also&nbsp; demonstrate&nbsp; the&nbsp; difficulty&nbsp; in&nbsp; determining&nbsp; a&nbsp; uniform mechanism&nbsp; of&nbsp; adsorption&nbsp; between&nbsp; the&nbsp; various&nbsp; organic&nbsp; compounds&nbsp; and microplastic particles in water.</p>

Les enfants sont exposés au p,p’-dichlorodiphényltrichloroéthane (p,p’-DDT) et au p,p’-dichlorodiphényldichloroéthylène (p,p’-DDE) par transfert placentaire et par le lait maternel. Plusieurs études laissent croire que cette exposition pourrait avoir un impact sur l’indice de masse corporelle (IMC) pendant l’enfance. Le but de notre étude était d’évaluer l’association entre l’exposition par le lait maternel et l’IMC des enfants japonais âgés de 42 mois. Nous avons utilisé les données d’une étude pilote (n=290) de la Japan Environment and Children Study (JECS). Le p,p’-DDT et le p,p’-DDE ont été mesurés dans le lait maternel, et les concentrations chez l’enfant ont été estimées pour trois périodes (0-6 mois, 6-12 mois, 12-24 mois) à l’aide d’un modèle de toxicocinétique. Les associations avec l’IMC à 42 mois ont été évaluées à l’aide de modèles de régression linéaire multivariée. Aucune association n’a été observée avec les concentrations de p,p’-DDT mesurées dans le lait maternel, ni avec les concentrations estimées chez les enfants. Des associations positives avec les concentrations de p,p’-DDE estimées ont été observées chez les filles. Chaque augmentation d’un logarithme naturel dans les concentrations estimées était associée avec une augmentation du score z de l’IMC de 0.23 (I.C. 95% : 0.01, 0.45) pour la période d’exposition 0-6 mois, de 0.26 (I.C. 95% : 0.06, 0.47) pour la période 6-12 mois, et de 0.24 (I.C. 95% : 0.05, 0.43) pour la période de 12-24 mois. Ces associations étaient dans le même ordre de grandeur que l’association observée dans une méta-analyse publiée récemment (augmentation du score z de l’IMC de 0.13 par augmentation d’un logarithme naturel dans l’exposition prénatale), ce qui supporte l’hypothèse que l’exposition développementale au p,p’-DDE est associée avec une augmentation de l’IMC durant l’enfance. / Children are exposed to p,p’-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p’-DDT) and p,p’-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p’-DDE) through placental and lactational transfer. Studies have revealed that these exposures could lead to increased body mass index (BMI) during childhood. Our aim was to assess whether exposure through breast milk is associated with BMI in Japanese children at 42 months of age. We used data from a pilot study (n=290) of the Japanese Environment and Children Study (JECS). p,p’-DDT and p,p’-DDE levels were measured in breast milk, and levels in children were estimated using a toxicokinetic model for three exposure periods (0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months). Associations with BMI at 42 months of age were assessed using multivariate linear regression models. Our study revealed no significant association with levels of p,p’-DDT measured in breast milk or estimated in children. Positive associations with p,p’-DDE were found in girls during all exposure periods. For each log increase in the estimated p,p’-DDE levels, BMI z-score increased by 0.23 (C.I. 95%: 0.01, 0.45) for the 0-6 months exposure period, 0.26 (C.I. 95%: 0.06, 0.47) for the 6-12 months exposure period and 0.24 (C.I. 95%: 0.05, 0.43) for the 12-24 months exposure period. Our results in girls were similar to those found in a previous meta-analysis that included boys and girls (BMI z-score increase of 0.13 by log increase in prenatal p,p’-DDE levels), supporting that early-life exposure to p,p’-DDE may be associated with increased BMI during childhood.