University of Helsinki, Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Kotka Maritime Research Centre, Viikinkaari 1, P.O. Box 65 00014 Helsinki, Finland; University of Helsinki, Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Kotka Maritime Research Centre, Keskuskatu 10, 48100 Kotka, Finland Centre, Keskuskatu 7, 48100 Kotka, Finland.
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Neulaniementie 4, P.O. Box 95 70701 Kuopio, Finland.
Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jan 20;753:142185. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142185. Epub 2020 Sep 6.
Dioxins have been an inconvenience to the Baltic Sea ecosystem for decades. Although the concentrations in the environment and biota have continuously decreased, dioxins still pose a risk to human health. The risk and its formation vary in different parts of the Baltic Sea, due to variability in the environmental and societal factors affecting it. This paper presents a systematic literature review and knowledge synthesis about the regional dioxin risk formation in four sub-areas of the Baltic Sea and evaluates, whether systemic approach changes our thinking about the risk and its effective management. We studied the dioxin flux from atmospheric deposition to the Baltic Sea food webs, accumulation to two commercially and culturally important fish species, Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) and Baltic salmon (Salmo salar), and further to risk group members of four Baltic countries. Based on 46 studies, we identified 20 quantifiable variables and indexed them for commensurable regional comparison. Spatial differences in dioxin pollution, environmental conditions, food web dynamics, and the following dioxin concentrations in herring and salmon, together with fishing and fish consumption, affect how the final health risk builds up. In the southern Baltic Sea, atmospheric pollution levels are relatively high and environmental processes to decrease bioavailability of dioxins unfavorable, but the growth is fast, which curb the bioaccumulation of dioxins in the biota. In the North, long-range atmospheric pollution is minor compared to South, but the local pollution and slower growth leads to higher bioaccumulation rates. However, based on our results, the most remarkable differences in the dioxin risk formation between the areas arise from the social sphere: the emissions, origin of national catches, and cultural differences in fish consumption. The article suggests that acknowledging spatial characteristics of socio-ecological systems that generate environmental risks may aid to direct local focus in risk management.
二恶英已经给波罗的海生态系统带来了几十年的困扰。尽管环境和生物群中的浓度不断下降，但二恶英仍然对人类健康构成威胁。由于影响二恶英的环境和社会因素存在变异性，波罗的海不同地区的风险及其形成情况也各不相同。本文对波罗的海四个分区域中二恶英风险形成的区域文献进行了系统的综述和知识综合，并评估了系统方法是否改变了我们对风险及其有效管理的看法。我们研究了大气沉降中二恶英通量进入波罗的海食物网的情况、在两种具有商业和文化重要性的鱼类，即波罗的海鲱鱼（Clupea harengus membras）和波罗的海三文鱼（Salmo salar）中的积累情况，以及进一步在四个波罗的海国家的风险群体成员中的情况。基于 46 项研究，我们确定了 20 个可量化变量，并对其进行了索引，以便进行可比的区域比较。二恶英污染、环境条件、食物网动态的空间差异，以及鲱鱼和三文鱼中二恶英浓度的进一步差异，加上捕捞和鱼类消费，都会影响最终健康风险的形成。在波罗的海南部，大气污染水平相对较高，降低二恶英生物利用度的环境过程不利，但生长速度快，这抑制了生物群中二恶英的生物积累。在北部，与南部相比，长距离大气污染较小，但局部污染和较慢的生长速度导致更高的二恶英生物积累率。然而，根据我们的结果，这些地区中二恶英风险形成的最显著差异来自社会领域：排放、国家捕捞的来源以及鱼类消费的文化差异。文章建议，承认产生环境风险的社会生态系统的空间特征可能有助于将地方重点放在风险管理上。
