Organochlorines burden in moss H. cupressiforme and topsoil across Serbia

Abstract

Following up-to-date initiatives of the Stockholm Convention, its global monitoring plan, and the International Cooperative Programme on Natural Vegetation and Crops (ICP Vegetation 2015) under the convention on long-range transboundary air pollution, this study examined 17 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and seven organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the moss Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. and topsoil sampled across Serbia. In the topsoil, OCPs ranged from 0.0158 to 9.6804 ng g−1 while concentrations of individual PCB congeners were in the range between 0.0185 and 0.3107 ng g−1. The levels of OCPs and PCBs in the moss H. cupressiforme ranged from 2.7785 to 23.9501 ng g−1, and from 0.4325 to 15.8013 ng g−1, respectively. POP relationships between topsoil and moss investigated by fugacity model equations indicated that the moss POP enrichment was a result of atmospheric long-range transport rather than secondary reemissions from soil.