Bogdal Christian, Schmid Peter, Zennegg Markus, Anselmetti Flavio S, Scheringer Martin, Hungerbühler Konrad
Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
Environ Sci Technol. 2009 Nov 1;43(21):8173-7. doi: 10.1021/es901628x.
In this study, the hypothesis that melting Alpine glaciers may represent a secondary source of persistent organic chemicals is investigated. To this end, a dated sediment core from a glacier-fed lake (Lake Oberaar, Switzerland) was analyzed for a wide range of persistent organic pollutants, organochlorine pesticides, and synthetic musk fragrances. Input fluxes of all organochlorines increased in the 1950s, peaked in the 1960s-1970s, and decreased again to low levels in the 1980s-1990s. This observation reflects the emission history of these compounds and technical improvements and regulations leading to reduced emissions some decades ago. The input of synthetic musks remained at a high level in the 1950s-1990s, which is consistent with their relatively constant production throughout the second half of the 20th century. Since the late 1990s, input of all compound classes into the high-Alpine Lake Oberaar has increased sharply. Currently, input fluxes of organochlorines are similar to or even higher than in the 1960s-1970s. This second peak supports the hypothesis that there is a relevant release of persistent organic chemicals from melting Alpine glaciers. Considering ongoing global warming and accelerated massive glacier melting predicted for the future, our study indicates the potential for dire environmental impacts due to pollutants delivered into pristine mountainous areas.
在本研究中，对融化的阿尔卑斯冰川可能是持久性有机化学品的次要来源这一假设进行了调查。为此，对取自一个由冰川供水的湖泊（瑞士奥伯阿尔湖）的一个有年代测定的沉积岩芯，分析了多种持久性有机污染物、有机氯农药和合成麝香香料。所有有机氯的输入通量在20世纪50年代增加，在20世纪60年代至70年代达到峰值，然后在20世纪80年代至90年代再次降至低水平。这一观察结果反映了这些化合物的排放历史以及几十年前导致排放量减少的技术改进和法规。合成麝香的输入在20世纪50年代至90年代一直处于高水平，这与它们在20世纪下半叶相对稳定的产量一致。自20世纪90年代末以来，所有化合物类别向高海拔的奥伯阿尔湖的输入都急剧增加。目前，有机氯的输入通量与20世纪60年代至70年代相似，甚至更高。这第二个峰值支持了阿尔卑斯冰川融化会释放大量持久性有机化学品的假设。考虑到当前的全球变暖以及预计未来会加速的大规模冰川融化，我们的研究表明，污染物进入原始山区可能会造成严重的环境影响。
