Knut Breivik

• Nipen, Maja; Vogt, Rolf David; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla; Borgå, Katrine; Mwakalapa, Eliezer Brown & Borgen, Anders [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2022). Increasing Trends of Legacy and Emerging Organic Contaminants in a Dated Sediment Core From East-Africa. Frontiers in Environmental Science. ISSN 2296-665X. 9(711). doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2021.805544. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Temporal trends of industrial organic contaminants can show how environmental burdens respond to changes in production, regulation, and other anthropogenic and environmental factors. Numerous studies have documented such trends from the Northern Hemisphere, while there is very limited data in the literature from sub-Saharan Africa. We hypothesized that the temporal trends of legacy and contemporary industrial contaminants in sub-Saharan Africa could greatly differ from the regions in which many of these chemicals were initially produced and more extensively used. For this purpose, a dated sediment core covering six decades from a floodplain system in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was analysed. The samples were analysed for selected legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) [polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs)] and chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) [alternative brominated flame retardants (aBFRs), chlorinated paraffins (CPs), and dechloranes]. All groups of chemicals showed a steep increase in concentrations towards the uppermost sediment layers reflecting the more recent years. Concentrations of the individual compound groups in surface sediment were found in the order CPs >> aBFRs ∼ ∑25PBDEs > dechloranes ∼ ∑32PCBs. Time trends for the individual compounds and compound groups differed, with ∑32PCBs showing presence in sediments since at least the early 1960s, while some CECs first occurred in sediments corresponding to the last decade. Investigations into potential drivers for the observed trends showed that socioeconomic factors related to growth in population, economy, and waste generation have contributed to increasing concentrations of PBDEs, aBFRs, CPs, and Dechlorane Plus. Further monitoring of temporal trends of industrial organic contaminants in urban areas in the Global South is recommended.

• Nipen, Maja; Vogt, Rolf David; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla; Borgå, Katrine; Mwakalapa, Eliezer Brown & Borgen, Anders [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2021). Spatial trends of chlorinated paraffins and dechloranes in air and soil in a tropical urban, suburban, and rural environment. Environmental Pollution. ISSN 1566-0745. 292. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118298. Full text in Research Archive
• Breivik, Knut; Eckhardt, Sabine; McLachlan, Michael S & Wania, Frank (2021). Introducing a nested multimedia fate and transport model for organic contaminants (NEM). Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. ISSN 2050-7887. 23(8), p. 1146–1157. doi: 10.1039/d1em00084e. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Some organic contaminants, including the persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have achieved global distribution through long range atmospheric transport (LRAT). Regulatory efforts, monitoring programs and modelling studies address the LRAT of POPs on national, continental (e.g. Europe) and/or global scales. Whereas national and continental-scale models require estimates of the input of globally dispersed chemicals from outside of the model domain, existing global-scale models either have relatively coarse spatial resolution or are so computationally demanding that it limits their usefulness. Here we introduce the Nested Exposure Model (NEM), which is a multimedia fate and transport model that is global in scale yet can achieve high spatial resolution of a user-defined target region without huge computational demands. Evaluating NEM by comparing model predictions for PCB-153 in air with measurements at nine long-term monitoring sites of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) reveals that nested simulations at a resolution of 1° × 1° yield results within a factor of 1.5 of observations at sites in northern Europe. At this resolution, the model attributes more than 90% of the atmospheric burden within any of the grid cells containing an EMEP site to advective atmospheric transport from elsewhere. Deteriorating model performance with decreasing resolution (15° × 15°, 5° × 5° and 1° × 1°), manifested by overestimation of concentrations across most of northern Europe by more than a factor of 3, illustrates the effect of numerical diffusion. Finally, we apply the model to demonstrate how the choice of spatial resolution affect predictions of atmospheric deposition to the Baltic Sea. While we envisage that NEM may be used for a wide range of applications in the future, further evaluation will be required to delineate the boundaries of applicability towards chemicals with divergent fate properties as well as in environmental media other than air.

• Halvorsen, Helene Lunder; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla; Eckhardt, Sabine; Gusev, Alexey; Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde & Möckel, Claudia [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2021). Main sources controlling atmospheric burdens of persistent organic pollutants on a national scale . Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. ISSN 0147-6513. 217. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112172. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  National long-term monitoring programs on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in background air have traditionally relied on active air sampling techniques. Due to limited spatial coverage of active air samplers, questions remain (i) whether active air sampler monitoring sites are representative for atmospheric burdens within the larger geographical area targeted by the monitoring programs, and thus (ii) if the main sources affecting POPs in background air across a nation are understood. The main objective of this study was to explore the utility of spatial and temporal trends in concert with multiple modelling approaches to understand the main sources affecting polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in background air across a nation. For this purpose, a comprehensive campaign was carried out in summer 2016, measuring POPs in background air across Norway using passive air sampling. Results were compared to a similar campaign in 2006 to assess possible changes over one decade. We furthermore used the Global EMEP Multi-media Modeling System (GLEMOS) and the Flexible Particle dispersion model (FLEXPART) to predict and evaluate the relative importance of primary emissions, secondary emissions, long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT) and national emissions in controlling atmospheric burdens of PCB-153 on a national scale. The concentrations in air of both PCBs and most of the targeted OCPs were generally low, with the exception of hexachlorobenzene (HCB). A limited spatial variability for all POPs in this study, together with predictions by both models, suggest that LRAT dominates atmospheric burdens across Norway. Model predictions by the GLEMOS model, as well as measured isomeric ratios, further suggest that LRAT of some POPs are dictated by secondary emissions. Our results illustrate the utility of combining observations and mechanistic modelling approaches to help identify the main factors affecting atmospheric burdens of POPs across a nation, which, in turn, may be used to inform both national monitoring and control strategies.

• Wong, Fiona; Hung, Hayley; Dryfhout-Clark, Helena; Aas, Wenche; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla & Breivik, Knut [Show all 22 contributors for this article] (2021). Time trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and Chemicals of Emerging Arctic Concern (CEAC) in Arctic air from 25 years of monitoring. Science of the Total Environment. ISSN 0048-9697. 775. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145109. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The long-term time trends of atmospheric pollutants at eight Arctic monitoring stations are reported. The work was conducted under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) of the Arctic Council. The monitoring stations were: Alert, Canada; Zeppelin, Svalbard; Stórhöfði, Iceland; Pallas, Finland; Andøya, Norway; Villum Research Station, Greenland; Tiksi and Amderma, Russia. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as α- and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), α-endosulfan, chlordane, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) showed declining trends in air at all stations. However, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), one of the initial twelve POPs listed in the Stockholm Convention in 2004, showed either increasing or non-changing trends at the stations. Many POPs demonstrated seasonality but the patterns were not consistent among the chemicals and stations. Some chemicals showed winter minimum and summer maximum concentrations at one station but not another, and vice versa. The ratios of chlordane isomers and DDT species showed that they were aged residues. Time trends of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) were showing decreasing concentrations at Alert, Zeppelin and Andøya. The Chemicals of Emerging Arctic Concern (CEAC) were either showing stable or increasing trends. These include methoxychlor, perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol, and C9-C11 perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs). We have demonstrated the importance of monitoring CEAC before they are being regulated because model calculations to predict their transport mechanisms and fate cannot be made due to the lack of emission inventories. We should maintain long-term monitoring programmes with consistent data quality in order to evaluate the effectiveness of chemical control efforts taken by countries worldwide.

• Snow, Melanie A.; Darko, Godfred; Gyamfi, Opoku; Ansah, Eugene; Breivik, Knut & Hoang, Christopher [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2021). Characterization of inhalation exposure to gaseous elemental mercury during artisanal gold mining and e-waste recycling through combined stationary and personal passive sampling. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. ISSN 2050-7887. 23(4), p. 569–579. doi: 10.1039/d0em00494d. Full text in Research Archive
• Syed, Jabir Hussain; Iqbal, Mehreen; Breivik, Knut; Chaudhry, Muhammad Jamshed Iqbal; Shahnawaz, Muhammad & Abbas, Zaigham [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2020). Legacy and emerging flame retardants (FRs) in the urban atmosphere of Pakistan: Diurnal variations, gas-particle partitioning and human health exposure. Science of the Total Environment. ISSN 0048-9697. 743, p. 1–8. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140874. Full text in Research Archive
• Röhler, Laura; Schlabach, Martin; Haglund, Peter; Breivik, Knut; Kallenborn, Roland & Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla (2020). Non-target and suspect characterisation of organic contaminants in Arctic air – Part 2: Application of a new tool for identification and prioritisation of chemicals of emerging Arctic concern in air. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP). ISSN 1680-7316. 20(14), p. 9031–9049. doi: 10.5194/acp-20-9031-2020. Full text in Research Archive
• Möckel, Claudia; Breivik, Knut; Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Sankoh, Alhaji; Jones, Kevin C. & Sweetman, Andrew (2020). Soil pollution at a major West African E-waste recycling site: Contamination pathways and implications for potential mitigation strategies. Environment International. ISSN 0160-4120. 137:105563, p. 1–9. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105563. Full text in Research Archive
• Arp, Hans Peter; Morin, Nicolas; Andersson, Patrik L.; Hale, Sarah; Wania, Frank & Breivik, Knut [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2020). The presence, emission and partitioning behavior of polychlorinated biphenyls in waste, leachate and aerosols from Norwegian waste-handling facilities. Science of the Total Environment. ISSN 0048-9697. 715. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136824. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Even though production and open use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been phased out in Western industrialised countries since the 1980s, PCBs were still present in waste collected from different waste handling facilities in Norway in 2013. Sums of seven indicator-PCBs (I-PCB7: PCB-28, -52, -101, -118, -138, -153 and -180) were highest in plastic waste (3700 ±1800 μg/kg, n=15), waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) (1300 ± 400 μg/kg, n=12) and fine vehicle fluff (1800 ± 1400 μg/kg, n=4) and lowest in glass waste, combustibles, bottom ash and fly ash (0.3 to 65 μg/kg). Concentrations in leachate water varied from 1.7 to 2900 ng/L, with higher concentrations found at vehicle and WEEE handling facilities. Particles in leachate water exhibited similar PCB sorption properties as solid waste collected on site, with waste-water partitioning coefficients ranging from 105 to 107. I-PCB7 in air samples collected at the sites were mostly in the gas phase (100–24000 pg/m3), compared to those associated with particles (9–1900 pg/m3). In contrast brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in the same samples were predominantly found associated with particles (e.g. sum of 10 brominated diethyl ethers, ΣBDE10, associated with particles 77–194,000 pg/m3) compared to the gas phase (ΣBDE10 6–473 pg/m3). Measured gas-phase I-PCB7 concentrations are less than predicted, assuming waste-air partitioning in equilibrium with predominant waste on site. However, the gas-particle partitioning behavior of PCBs and BFRs could be predicted using an established partitioning model for ambient aerosols. PCB emissions from Norwegian waste handling facilities occurred primarily in the form of atmospheric vapor or leachate particles.

• Abbasi, Golnoush; Li, Li & Breivik, Knut (2019). Global Historical Stocks and Emissions of PBDEs. Environmental Science and Technology. ISSN 0013-936X. 53(11), p. 6330–6340. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b07032. Full text in Research Archive
• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Berg, Vivian; Hanssen, Linda; Rylander, Charlotta; Gaudreau, Eric & Dumas, Pierre [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2019). Time trends of persistent organic pollutants in 30 year olds sampled in 1986, 1994, 2001 and 2007 in Northern Norway: measurements, mechanistic modeling and a comparison of study designs. Environmental Research. ISSN 0013-9351. 172, p. 684–692. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.02.047. Full text in Research Archive
• Carlsson, Pernilla; Breivik, Knut; Brorström-Lundén, Eva; Cousins, Ian; Christensen, Jesper & Grimalt, Joan O. [Show all 20 contributors for this article] (2018). Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as sentinels for the elucidation of Arctic environmental change processes: a comprehensive review combined with ArcRisk project results. Environmental science and pollution research international. ISSN 0944-1344. 25(23), p. 22499–22528. doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-2625-7. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can be used as chemical sentinels for the assessment of anthropogenic influences on Arctic environmental change. We present an overview of studies on PCBs in the Arctic and combine these with the findings from ArcRisk—a major European Union-funded project aimed at examining the effects of climate change on the transport of contaminants to and their behaviour of in the Arctic—to provide a case study on the behaviour and impact of PCBs over time in the Arctic. PCBs in the Arctic have shown declining trends in the environment over the last few decades. Atmospheric long-range transport from secondary and primary sources is the major input of PCBs to the Arctic region. Modelling of the atmospheric PCB composition and behaviour showed some increases in environmental concentrations in a warmerArctic, but the general decline in PCB levels is still the most prominent feature. ‘Within-Arctic’ processing of PCBs will be affected by climate change-related processes such as changing wet deposition. These in turn will influence biological exposure and uptake of PCBs. The pan-Arctic rivers draining large Arctic/sub-Arctic catchments provide a significant source of PCBs to the Arctic Ocean, although changes in hydrology/sediment transport combined with a changing marine environment remain areas of uncertainty with regard to PCB fate. Indirect effects of climate change on human exposure, such as a changing diet will influence and possibly reduce PCB exposure for indigenous peoples. Body burdens of PCBs have declined since the 1980s and are predicted to decline further.

• Zhao, Shizhen; Breivik, Knut; Jones, Kevin C & Sweetman, Andrew J (2018). Modeling the Time-Variant Dietary Exposure of PCBs in China over the Period 1930 to 2100. Environmental Science and Technology. ISSN 0013-936X. 52(13), p. 7371–7379. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b01228. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study aimed for the first time to reconstruct historical exposure profiles for PCBs to the Chinese population, by examining the combined effect of changing temporal emissions and dietary transition. A long-term (1930–2100) dynamic simulation of human exposure using realistic emission scenarios, including primary emissions, unintentional emissions, and emissions from e-waste, combined with dietary transition trends was conducted by a multimedia fate model (BETR-Global) linked to a bioaccumulation model (ACC-HUMAN). The model predicted an approximate 30-year delay of peak body burden for PCB-153 in a 30-year-old Chinese female, compared to their European counterpart. This was mainly attributed to a combination of change in diet and divergent emission patterns in China. A fish-based diet was predicted to result in up to 8 times higher body burden than a vegetable-based diet (2010–2100). During the production period, a worst-case scenario assuming only consumption of imported food from a region with more extensive production and usage of PCBs would result in up to 4 times higher body burden compared to consumption of only locally produced food. However, such differences gradually diminished after cessation of production. Therefore, emission reductions in China alone may not be sufficient to protect human health from PCB-like chemicals, particularly during the period of mass production. The results from this study illustrate that human exposure is also likely to be dictated by inflows of PCBs via the environment, waste, and food.

• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Halse, Anne Karine; Schlabach, Martin; Bäcklund, Are; Eckhardt, Sabine & Breivik, Knut (2018). Low concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in air at Cape Verde. Science of the Total Environment. ISSN 0048-9697. 612, p. 129–137. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.217. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ambient air is a core medium for monitoring of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention and is used in studies of global transports of POPs and their atmospheric sources and source regions. Still, data based on active air sampling remain scarce in many regions. The primary objectives of this study were to (i) monitor concentrations of selected POPs in air outside West Africa, and (ii) to evaluate potential atmospheric processes and source regions affecting measured concentrations. For this purpose, an active high-volume air sampler was installed on the Cape Verde Atmospheric Observatory at Cape Verde outside the coast of West Africa. Sampling commenced in May 2012 and 43 samples (24 h sampling) were collected until June 2013. The samples were analyzed for selected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and chlordanes. The concentrations of these POPs at Cape Verde were generally low and comparable to remote sites in the Arctic for several compounds. Seasonal trends varied between compounds and concentrations exhibited strong temperature dependence for chlordanes. Our results indicate net volatilization fromthe Atlantic Ocean north of Cape Verde as sources of these POPs. Air mass back trajectories demonstrated that air masses measured at Cape Verdewere generally transported fromthe Atlantic Ocean or the North African continent. Overall, the low concentrations in air at Cape Verde were likely explained by absence of major emissions in areas from which the air masses originated combined with depletion during long-range atmospheric transport due to enhanced degradation under tropical conditions (high temperatures and concentrations of hydroxyl radicals).

• Iqbal, Mehreen; Syed, Jabir Hussain; Breivik, Knut; Chaudhry, Muhammad Jamshed Iqbal; Li, Jun & Zhang, Gan [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2017). E-Waste Driven Pollution in Pakistan: The First Evidence of Environmental and Human Exposure to Flame Retardants (FRs) in Karachi City. Environmental Science and Technology. ISSN 0013-936X. 51(23), p. 13895–13905. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03159. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Informal e-waste recycling activities have been shown to be a major emitter of organic flame retardants (FRs), contributing to both environmental and human exposure to laborers at e-waste recycling sites in some West African countries, as well as in China and India. The main objectiveof this study was to determine the levels of selected organic FRs in both air and soil samples collected from areas with intensive informal e-waste recycling activities in Karachi, Pakistan. Dechlorane Plus (DP) and “novel” brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) were often detected in high concentrations in soils, while phosphorous-based FRs (OPFRs) dominated atmospheric samples. Among individual substances and substance groups, decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) (726 ng/g), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) (551 ng/g), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE) (362 ng/g) and tri-phenyl-phosphate (ΣTPP) (296 ng/g) were found to be prevalent in soils, while OPFR congeners (5903-24986 ng/m3) were prevalent in air. The two major e-waste recycling areas (Shershah and Lyari) were highly contaminated with FRs, suggesting informal e-waste recycling activities as a major emission source of FRs in the environment in Karachi City. However, the hazards associated with exposure to PM2.5 appear to exceed those attributed to exposure to selected FRs via inhalation and soil ingestion.

• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Undeman, Emma Maria; Evenset, Anita; Christensen, Guttorm N.; Whelan, Mick & Breivik, Knut [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2017). Elucidating the Behavior of Cyclic Volatile Methylsiloxanes in a Subarctic Freshwater Food Web: A Modeled and Measured Approach. Environmental Science and Technology. ISSN 0013-936X. 51, p. 12489–12497. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03083. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMS) are used in personal care products and emitted to aquatic environments through wastewater effluents, and their bioaccumulation potential is debated. Here, a new bentho-pelagic version of the ACC-HUMAN model was evaluated for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and applied to cVMS in combination with measurements to explore their bioaccumulation behavior in a subarctic lake. Predictions agreed better with measured PCB concentrations in Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) when the benthic link was included than in the pelagic-only model. Measured concentrations of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) were 60 ± 1.2 (Chironomidae larvae), 107 ± 4.5 (pea clams Pisidium sp.), 131 ± 105 (three-spined sticklebacks: Gasterosteus aculeatus), 41 ± 38 (char), and 9.9 ± 5.9 (trout) ng g-1 wet weight. Concentrations were lower for octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6), and none of the cVMS displayed trophic magnification. Predicted cVMS concentrations were lower than measured in benthos, but agreed well with measurements in fish. cVMS removal through ventilation was an important predicted loss mechanism for the benthic-feeding fish. Predictions were highly sensitive to the partition coefficient between organic carbon and water (KOC) and its temperature dependence, as this controlled bioavailability for benthos (the main source of cVMS for fish).

• Glüge, Juliane; Steinlin, Christine; Schalles, Simone; Wegmann, Lukas; Josef, Tremp & Breivik, Knut [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2017). Import, use, and emissions of PCBs in Switzerland from 1930 to 2100. PLOS ONE. ISSN 1932-6203. 12(10). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183768. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic compounds that are ubiquitously found in the environment. Their use and manufacture were restricted or banned in many countries in the 1970±1980s, however, they still persist in the antroposphere, the environment and in biota worldwide today. Conventions like the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution encourage or bind the member parties to annually submit emission inventories of regulated air pollutants. Unfortunately, several member states have not yet reported PCB emissions. The identification and quantification of stocks and emissions sources is, however, an important precondition to handle and remove the remaining reservoirs of PCBs and, thus, to be able to reduce emissions and subsequently environmental exposure. Here, we estimate past, present, and future emissions of PCBs to air in Switzerland and provide emission factors for all relevant emission categories. Switzerland hereby represents a typical developed industrial country, and most of the assumptions and parameters presented here can be used to calculate PCB emission also for other countries. PCB emissions to air are calculated using a dynamic mass flow and emissions model for Switzerland, which is run for the years 1930±2100. The results point out the importance of the use of PCBs in open applications, which have largely been previously overlooked. Additionally, we show that PCBs will persist in applications during the coming decades with ongoing emissions. Especially the use of PCBs in open applications will cause Swiss emissions to remain above 100 kg PCB per year, even after the year 2030. Our developed model is available in Excel/VBA and can be downloaded with this article.

• Breivik, Knut; MacLeod, Matthew; Wania, Frank & Eckhardt, Sabine (2017). Towards a Nested Exposure Model for organic contaminants (NEM). Organohalogen Compounds. ISSN 1026-4892. 79, p. 516–520. Full text in Research Archive
• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Sandanger, Torkjel M; Nieboer, Evert; Odland, Jon Øyvind & Breivik, Knut (2017). The impacts of emission trends of POPs on human concentration dynamics: Lessons learned from a longitudinal study in Norway (1979-2007). International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. ISSN 1438-4639. 220(4), p. 776–781. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2017.01.015. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background. In this short communication, our focus is on the relationship between human concentrations of select persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and environmental emissions. It is based on a longitudinal study (1979-2007) conducted in Norway. Objectives. Our aim was to extract general insights from observed and predicted temporal trends in human concentrations of 49 POPs to assist in the design and interpretation of future monitoring studies. Discussion. Despite considerable decline for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) since 1986, the sum of the targeted POPs increased from 1979 until 2001, with per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) dominating recent blood burden measurements. Specifically, the time trends in serum concentrations of POPs, exemplified by PCB-153, 1,1'-(2,2,2-Trichloroethane-1,1-diyl)bis(4-chlorobenzene) (DDT) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), resembled the trends in available data on their emissions, production or use. These observations suggest that interpretations of human biomonitoring data on persistent compounds must consider historic emissions, which likely vary spatially across the globe. Based on the different temporal trends observed across POP groups, it is evident that generalizations regarding temporal aspects have limitations. Conclusion. The discussion herein underscores the importance of understanding temporal variations in environmental emissions when designing and interpreting human biomonitoring studies.

• Zhao, Shizhen; Breivik, Knut; Liu, Guorui; Zheng, Minghui; Jones, Kevin C & Sweetman, Andrew J (2017). Long-Term Temporal Trends of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Their Controlling Sources in China. Environmental Science and Technology. ISSN 0013-936X. 51(5), p. 2838–2845. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.6b05341. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are industrial organic contaminants identified as persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic (PBT) and subject to long-range transport (LRT) with global scale significance. This study focuses on a reconstruction and prediction for China of long-term emission trends of intentionally and unintentionally produced (UP) Σ7PCBs (UP-PCBs, from the manufacture of steel, cement and sinter iron) and their re-emissions from secondary sources (e.g., soils and vegetation), using a dynamic fate model (BETR-Global). Contemporary emission estimates combined with predictions from the multimedia fate model suggest that primary sources still dominate, although unintentional sources are predicted to become a main contributor from 2035 for PCB-28. Imported e-waste is predicted to play an increasing role until 2020-2030 on a national scale due to the decline of IP emissions. Hypothetical emission scenarios suggest that China could become a potential source to neighbouring regions with a net output of ~0.4 t year-1 in the case of 7 PCBs around 2050. However, future emission scenarios and hence model results will be dictated by the efficiency of control measures.

• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Whelan, Mick; Christensen, Guttorm N; Breivik, Knut; Evenset, Anita & Warner, Nicholas Alexander (2017). Understanding of Cyclic Volatile Methyl Siloxane Fate in a High Latitude Lake Is Constrained by Uncertainty in Organic Carbon− Water Partitioning. Environmental Science and Technology. ISSN 0013-936X. 51(1), p. 401–409. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.6b04828. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes (cVMS) are emitted to aquatic environments with wastewater effluents. Here, we evaluate the environmental behavior of three cVMS compounds (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4), decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6)) in a high latitude lake (Storvannet, 70°N 23°E), experiencing intermittent wastewater emissions and high latitude environmental conditions (low temperatures and seasonal ice cover). Measured cVMS concentrations in lake water were below detection limits in both March and June 2014. However, mean concentrations in sediments were 207 ± 30, 3775 ± 973 and 848 ± 211 ng g−1 organic carbon for D4, D5 and D6, respectively. To rationalize measurements, a fugacity-based model for lakes (QWASI) was parametrized for Storvannet. The key removal process for cVMS from the lake was predicted to be advection due to the low hydraulic retention time of the lake, followed by volatilization. Predicted cVMS behavior was highly sensitive to the partition coefficient between organic carbon and water (KOC) and its temperature dependence. Predictions indicated lower overall persistence with decreasing temperature due to enhanced partitioning from sediments to water. Inverse modeling to predict steady-state emissions from cVMS concentrations in sediment provided unrealistically high emissions, when evaluated against measured concentrations in sewage. However, high concentrations of cVMS in sediment and low concentrations in water could be explained via a hypothetical dynamic emission scenario consistent with combined sewer overflows. The study illustrates the importance of considering compound-specific behavior of emerging contaminants that may differ from legacy organic contaminants.

• Arp, Hans Petter Heinrich; Morin, Nicolas; Hale, Sarah; Okkenhaug, Gudny; Breivik, Knut & Sparrevik, Magnus (2017). The mass flow and proposed management of bisphenol A in selected Norwegian waste streams. Waste Management. ISSN 0956-053X. 60, p. 775–785. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2017.01.002. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Current initiatives for waste-handling in a circular economy favor prevention and recycling over incineration or landfilling. However, the impact of such a transition on environmental emissions of contaminants like bisphenol A (BPA) during waste-handling is not fully understood. To address this, a material flow analysis (MFA) was constructed for selected waste categories in Norway, for which the amount recycled is expected to increase in the future; glass, vehicle, electronic, plastic and combustible waste. Combined, 92 tons/y of BPA are disposed of via these waste categories in Norway, with 98.5% associated with plastic and electronic waste. During the model year 2011, the MFA showed that BPA in these waste categories was destroyed through incineration (60%), exported for recycling into new products (35%), stored in landfills (4%) or released into the environment (1%). Landfilling led to the greatest environmental emissions (up to 13% of landfilled BPA), and incinerating the smallest (0.001% of incinerated BPA). From modelling different waste management scenarios, the most effective way to reduce BPA emissions are to incinerate BPA-containing waste and avoid landfilling it. A comparison of environmental and human BPA concentrations with CoZMoMAN exposure model estimations suggested that waste emissions are an insignificant regional source. Nevertheless, from monitoring studies, landfill emissions can be a substantial local source of BPA. Regarding the transition to a circular economy, it is clear that disposing of less BPA-containing waste and less landfilling would lead to lower environmental emissions, but several uncertainties remain regarding emissions of BPA during recycling, particularly for paper and plastics. Future research should focus on the fate of BPA, as well as BPA alternatives, in emerging reuse and recycling processes, as part of the transition to a circular economy.

• Yadav, Ishwar Chandra; Devi, Ningombam linthoingambi; Li, Jun; Zhang, Gan & Breivik, Knut (2017). Possible emissions of POPs in plain and hilly areas of Nepal: Implications for source apportionment and health risk assessment. Environmental Pollution (1987). ISSN 0269-7491. 220, p. 1289–1300. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.10.102. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ambient air is a core media chosen for monitoring under the Stockholm Convention on POPs. While extensive monitoring of POPs in ambient air has been carried out in some parts of the globe, there are still regions with very limited information available, such as some developing countries as Nepal. This study therefore aims to target the occurrence of selected POPs in Nepal in suspected source areas/more densely populated regions. Four potential source regions in Nepal were furthermore targeted as it was hypothesized that urban areas at lower altitudes (Birgunj and Biratnagar located at approximately 86 and 80 m.a.s.l.) would be potentially more affected by OCPs because of more intensive agricultural activities in comparison to urban areas at higher altitudes (Kathmandu, Pokhara located 1400 and 1135 m.a.s.l). As some of these areas could also be impacted by LRAT, air mass back trajectories during the sampling period were additionally evaluated using HYSPLIT. The concentrations of overall POPs were twice as high in plain areas in comparison to hilly areas. DDTs and HCHs were most frequently detected in the air samples. The high p,p'-DDT/(pp'-DDE + pp'-DDD) ratio as well as the low o,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDT ratio observed in this study was inferred as continuing use of technical DDT. High levels of Sum26PCBs were linked to proximity to highly urbanized and industrial areas, indicating the potential source of PCBs. The measured concentrations of legacy POPs in air from this study is assumed to represent a negligible health risk through inhalation of ambient air, however, other modes of human exposure could still be relevant in Nepal. The air mass backward trajectory analysis revealed that most of the air masses sampled originated from India and the Bay of Bengal.

• Chakraborty, Paromita; Zhang, Gan; Li, Jun; Selvaraj, Sakthivel; Breivik, Knut & Jones, Kevin C (2016). Soil concentrations, occurrence, sources and estimation of air–soil exchange of polychlorinated biphenyls in Indian cities. Science of the Total Environment. ISSN 0048-9697. 562, p. 928–934. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.009. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Past studies have shown potentially increasing levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Indian environment. This is the first attempt to investigate the occurrence of PCBs in surface soil and estimate diffusive air-soil exchange, both on a regional scale as well as at local level within the metropolitan environment of India. From the north, New Delhi and Agra, east, Kolkata, west, Mumbai and Goa and Chennai and Bangalore in the southern India were selected for this study. 33 PCB congeners were quantified in surface soil and possible sources were derived using positive matrix factorization model. Net flux directions of PCBs were estimated in seven major metropolitan cities of India along urban-suburban-rural transects. Mean Σ33PCBs concentration in soil (12 ng/g dry weight) was nearly twice the concentration found in global background soil, but in line with findings from Pakistan and urban sites of China. Higher abundance of the heavier congeners (6CB–8CB) was prevalent mostly in the urban centers. Cities like Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata with evidence of ongoing PCB sources did not show significant correlation with soil organic carbon (SOC). This study provides evidence that soil is acting as sink for heavy weight PCB congeners and source for lighter congeners. Atmospheric transport is presumably a controlling factor for occurrence of PCBs in less polluted sites of India.

• Hung, Hayley; Katsoyiannis, Athanasios A.; Brorström-Lunden, Eva; Olafsdottir, Kristin; Aas, Wenche & Breivik, Knut [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2016). Temporal trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in arctic air: 20 years of monitoring under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). Environmental Pollution (1987). ISSN 0269-7491. 217, p. 52–61. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.01.079. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Temporal trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) measured in Arctic air are essential in understanding long-range transport to remote regions and to evaluate the effectiveness of national and international chemical control initiatives, such as the Stockholm Convention (SC) on POPs. Long-term air monitoring of POPs is conducted under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) at four Arctic stations: Alert, Canada; Storhofði, Iceland; Zeppelin, Svalbard; and Pallas, Finland, since the 1990s using high volume air samplers. Temporal trends observed for POPs in Arctic air are summarized in this study. Most POPs listed for control under the SC, e.g. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and chlordanes, are declining slowly in Arctic air, reflecting the reduction of primary emissions during the last two decades and increasing importance of secondary emissions. Slow declining trends also signifies their persistence and slow degradation under the Arctic environment, such that they are still detectable after being banned for decades in many countries. Some POPs, e.g. hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and lighter PCBs, showed increasing trends at specific locations, which may be attributable to warming in the region and continued primary emissions at source. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) do not decline in air at Canada's Alert station but are declining in European Arctic air, which may be due to influence of local sources at Alert and the much higher historical usage of PBDEs in North America. Arctic air samples are screened for chemicals of emerging concern to provide information regarding their environmental persistence (P) and long-range transport potential (LRTP), which are important criteria for classification as a POP under SC. The AMAP network provides consistent and comparable air monitoring data of POPs for trend development and acts as a bridge between national monitoring programs and SC's Global Monitoring Plan (GMP).

• Breivik, Knut; Armitage, James M; Wania, Frank; Sweetman, Andrew J & Jones, Kevin C (2016). Tracking the Global Distribution of Persistent Organic Pollutants Accounting for E-Waste Exports to Developing Regions. Environmental Science and Technology. ISSN 0013-936X. 50(2), p. 798–805. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5b04226. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Elevated concentrations of various industrial-use persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), have been reported in some developing areas in sub-tropical and tropical regions known to be destinations of e-waste. We used a recent inventory of the global generation and exports of e-waste to develop various global scale emission scenarios for industrial-use organic contaminants (IUOCs). For representative IUOCs (RIUOCs), only hypothetical emissions via passive volatilization from e-waste were considered whereas for PCBs, historical emissions throughout the chemical life-cycle (i.e., manufacturing, use, disposal) were included. The environmental transport and fate of RIUOCs and PCBs were then simulated using the BETR Global 2.0 model. Export of e-waste is expected to increase and sustain global emissions beyond the baseline scenario, which assumes no export. A comparison between model predictions and observations for PCBs in selected recipient regions generally suggests a better agreement when exports are accounted for. This study may be the first to integrate the global transport of IUOCs in waste with their long range transport in air and water. The results call for integrated chemical management strategies on a global scale.

• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Breivik, Knut; Wania, Frank; Rylander, Charlotta; Odland, Jon Øyvind & Sandanger, Torkjel M (2016). Estimating Time-Varying PCB Exposures Using Person-Specific Predictions to Supplement Measured Values: A Comparison of Observed and Predicted Values in Two Cohorts of Norwegian Women. Environmental Health Perspectives. ISSN 0091-6765. 124(3), p. 299–305. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1409191. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: Studies on health effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) call for an understanding of past and present human exposure. Time-resolved mechanistic models may supplement information on concentrations in individuals obtained from measurements and/or statistical approaches, if they can be shown to reproduce empirical data. Objectives: Here we evaluate the capability of one such mechanistic model to reproduce measured PCB concentrations in individual Norwegian women. We also assess individual life course concentrations. Methods: Concentrations of four PCB congeners in pregnant women (n= 310, sampled in 2007-2009) and postmenopausal women (n= 244, 2005) were compared to person-specific predictions obtained with CoZMoMAN, an emission-based environmental fate and human food-Chain bioaccumulation model. Person-specific predictions were also made with statistical regression models including dietary and lifestyle variables and concentrations. Results: CoZMoMAN accurately reproduced medians and ranges of measured concentrations in the two study groups. Further, rank correlations between measurements and predictions from both CoZMoMAN and regression analyses were strong (Spearman`s r >0.67). Precision in quartile assignments from predictions was strong overall as evaluated by Weighted Cohen`s Kappa >0.6. Simulations indicated large inter-individual differences in concentrations experienced in the past. Conclusions: The mechanistic model reproduced all measurements of PCB concentrations within a factor of ten and subject ranking and quartile assignments were overall largely consistent, although weak within each study group. Contamination histories for individuals predicted by CoZMoMAN revealed variation between study subjects, particularly in the timing of peak concentrations. Mechanistic models provide individual PCB exposure metrics that could serve as valuable supplements to measurements.

• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Halse, Anne Karine; Randall, Scott Gary; Borgen, Anders; Schlabach, Martin & Paul, Alak [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2015). High concentrations of organic contaminants in air from ship breaking activities in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Environmental Science and Technology. ISSN 0013-936X. 49, p. 11372–11380. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5b03073. Full text in Research Archive
• Iqbal, Mehreen; Breivik, Knut; Syed, Jabir Hussain; Malik, Riffat Naseem; Li, Jun & Zhang, Gan [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2015). Emerging issue of e-waste in Pakistan: A review of status, research needs and data gaps. Environmental Pollution (1987). ISSN 0269-7491. 207, p. 308–318. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.09.002. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This review article focuses on the current situation of e-waste in Pakistan with the emphasis on defining the major e-waste recycling sites, current and future domestic generation of e-waste, hidden flows or import of e-waste and discusses various challenges for e-waste management. Needed policy interventions and possible measures to be taken at governmental level are discussed to avoid the increasing problem of e-waste in the country. Our findings highlight that there is still a general lack of reliable data, inventories and research studies addressing e-waste related issues in the context of environmental and human health in Pakistan. There is therefore a critical need to improve the current knowledge base, which should build upon the research experience from other countries which have experienced similar situations in the past. Further research into these issues in Pakistan is considered vital to help inform future policies/control strategies as already successfully implemented in other countries.

• Rylander, Charlotta; Sandanger, Torkjel M; Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Breivik, Knut & Lund, Eiliv (2015). Combining plasma measurements and mechanistic modeling to explore the effect of POPs on type 2 diabetes mellitus in Norwegian women. Environmental Research. ISSN 0013-9351. 142, p. 365–373. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2015.07.002. Show summary

  The number of studies on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is growing steadily. Although concentrations of many POPs in humans have decreased substantially, only some studies consider temporal and inter-individual changes in POP concentrations when assessing exposure. Here we combined plasma measurements with mechanistic modelling to generate complementary exposure measures to our single blood draw after disease diagnosis. Blood was collected between 2003-2006 from 106 subjects with T2DM and 106 age-matched controls, and POP concentrations were compared after adjustment for relevant risk factors and multiple testing. Area under the curve (AUC) of PCB-153 from birth until age 18, representing early-life exposure, and AUC from birth until time of diagnosis were generated as well as examples of life-time exposure trajectories using a mechanistic exposure model. The rank sum of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs, OR=16.9 (95% CI: 3.05- 93.6)) as well as β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH, OR=203.8 (95% CI: 11.5- 3620)) and 1, 1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethylene (p,p’-DDE, OR=11.3 (95% CI: 2.55- 49.9)) were associated with T2DM. Neither of the AUCs reflecting early life exposure and total life-time exposure at the time of diagnosis were associated with the disease. The predicted life course trajectories display clear differences within and between individuals in the past and suggest that a single blood draw provide limited information on POP exposure earlier in life. The predicted AUCs for PCB-153 did not support the positive association between T2DM and measured blood concentration of certain POPs. This may suggest that the model is either too simplistic and/or that strength of the association may vary through life and with time to/past diagnosis.

• Halse, Anne Karine; Schlabach, Martin; Schuster, Jasmin K; Jones, Kevin C; Steinnes, Eiliv & Breivik, Knut (2015). Endosulfan, pentachlorobenzene and short-chain chlorinated paraffins in background soils from Western Europe. Environmental Pollution (1987). ISSN 0269-7491. 196, p. 21–28. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2014.09.009. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Soils are major reservoirs for many persistent organic pollutants (POPs). In this study, “newly” regulated POPs i.e. sum endosulfans (a-endosulfan, b-endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate), pentachlorobenzene (PeCB), and short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) were determined in background samples from woodland (WL) and grassland (GL) surface soil, collected along an existing latitudinal UK-Norway transect. Statistical analysis, complemented with plots showing the predicted equilibrium distribution and mobility potential, was then explored to discuss factors controlling their spatial distribution. SCCPs were detected with the highest average concentrations (35 ± 100 ng/g soil organic matter (SOM)), followed by sum endosulfans (3 ± 3 ng/g SOM) and PeCB (1 ± 1 ng/g SOM). PeCB and sum endosulfans share many similarities in their distribution in these background soils as well as with several legacy POPs. A steep decline in concentrations of SCCPs with increasing latitude indicates that their occurrence is dictated by proximity to source regions, while concentrations of Sendosulfans peaked in regions experiencing elevated precipitation rates.

• Nizzetto, Pernilla Bohlin; Katsogiannis, Athanasios A.; Aas, Wenche; Breivik, Knut & Hung, Hayley (2014). Long-term trends of POPs under the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) - Contribution to the global monitoring plan. Organohalogen Compounds. ISSN 1026-4892. 76, p. 538–541.
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Warner, Nicholas Alexander; Christensen, Guttorm N.; Whelan, Mick; Breivik, Knut & Evenset, Anita [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2014). Understanding the fate and bioaccumulation of cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes in Arctic Lakes. Organohalogen Compounds. ISSN 1026-4892. 76, p. 186–189. Full text in Research Archive
• Ratola, Nuno; Graf, Carola; Montesinos, Sonia; Garrido, Adrián; Jiménez-Guerrero, Pedro & Breivik, Knut [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2014). Levels, spatial distribution and sources of atmospheric OCPs, PCBs and PBDEs in a Svalbard - Sao Tomé transect. Organohalogen Compounds. ISSN 1026-4892. 76, p. 1372–1375. Full text in Research Archive

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• Breivik, Knut; Eckhardt, Sabine; McLachlan, Michael S. & Wania, Frank (2021). A chemical categorisation approach for LRTP assessment.
• Hung, Hayley; Wong, Fiona; Dryfhout-Clark, Helena; Aas, Wenche; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla & Breivik, Knut [Show all 22 contributors for this article] (2021). Time Trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Chemicals of Emerging Arctic Concern (CEAC) in Arctic Air From 25 Years of Monitoring.
• Nipen, Maja; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla; Borgen, Anders; Borgå, Katrine; Jørgensen, Susanne Jøntvedt & Mmochi, Aviti John [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2020). Spatial trends of chlorinated paraffins and dechloranes in soil and air from Tanzania.
• Halvorsen, Helene Lunder; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla; Eckhardt, Sabine; Gusev, Alexey; Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde & Möckel, Claudia [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2020). Main sources controlling atmospheric burdens of persistant organic pollutants across Norway.
• Skogeng, Lovise Pedersen; Möckel, Claudia; Halvorsen, Helene Lunder; Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Eckhardt, Sabine & Breivik, Knut (2020). Spatial distribution of dechlorane plus and analogs in European background air.
• Arriola, Aline; Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Warner, Nicholas Alexander; Herzke, Dorte; Evenset, Anita & Möckel, Claudia [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2020). Environmental behaviour and bioaccumulation of chlorinated paraffins, dechloranes and PCBs in northern freshwater ecosystems.
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Breivik, Knut & Wania, F. (2019). Introducing a Nested Exposure Model for organic contaminants (NEM): Part 2. Bioaccumulation in Arctic Ecosystems.
• Breivik, Knut; Eckhardt, Sabine; Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; MacLeod, M. & Wania, F. (2019). Introducing a Nested Exposure Model for organic contaminants (NEM): Part 1. The physical environment.
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Breivik, Knut; Eckhardt, Sabine; MacLeod, M. & Wania, F. (2019). Towards a temporally and spatially resolved Nested Exposure Model for organic contaminants in Arctic ecosystems.
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Nøst, Therese Haugdahl & Breivik, Knut (2019). Modellering som verktøy til å forstå utslipp, eksponering og bioakkumulering.
• Nipen, Maja; Borgå, Katrine; Christensen, Guttorm; Haarr, Ane; Mmochi, Aviti John & Mwakalapa, Eliezer Brown [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2019). Pollution from electronic waste in the physical environment.
• Nipen, Maja; Vogt, Rolf David; Borgå, Katrine; Haarr, Ane; Mwakalapa, Eliezer Brown & Schlabach, Martin [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2019). Spatial and temporal trends in e-waste related organic pollutants in a developing economy - A pilot study.
• Möckel, Claudia; Eckhardt, Sabine; Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde & Breivik, Knut (2019). Can long-range atmospheric transport events of "new" POPs to a remote site in Norway be predicted using FLEXPART?
• Arriola, Aline; Evenset, Anita; Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Herzke, Dorte; Warner, Nicholas Alexander & Möckel, Claudia [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2019). Environmental behavior and bioaccumulation of contaminants of emerging concern in northern freshwater ecosystems.
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Breivik, Knut & Wania, Frank (2019). Towards a temporally and spatially resolved Nested Exposure Model for organic contaminants in Arctic marine ecosystems.
• Ratola, Nuno; Cincinelli, Alessandra; Pieri, Francesca; Montesinos, Sonia; Schuster, Jasmin K. & Katsoyiannis, Athanasios A. [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2018). North Hemisphere air quality transects to assess legacy and emerging semivolatile organic contaminants.
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla; Nøst, Therese Haugdahl & Breivik, Knut (2018). Towards an in-house Arctic environmental fate and bioaccumulation model for organic contaminants – A platform for cooperation across institutes?
• Graf, Carola; Breivik, Knut; Jones, Kevin C & Sweetman, Andrew J (2018). Long-term trend in PCB and PBDE concentrations in ambient air: The TOMPS network and the UK-Norway transect. Show summary

  The UK Toxic Organic Micro Pollutants (TOMPs) Network, which has operated since 1991, collects ambient air samples at six urban, rural, and semi-rural sites across England and Scotland, using high-volume active air samplers [1]. Furthermore, in 1994, a latitudinal sampling transect from the south of England to the north of Norway was established with eleven sampling sites, mainly in remote locations, using Semi-Permeable Membrane Devices (SPMDs) as passive air samplers [2]. Both networks provide continuous, long-term ambient air trend data for a range of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), including PCBs and PBDEs, and have helped demonstrating a decline in POPs air concentrations over the last three decades. However, in recent years no further significant declines have been observed. SumPCB and SumPBDE levels in the UK are lowest at the rural sites and highest for the urban sites (TOMPs), and they generally decrease from the south of England to the north of Norway (UK/Norway) in line with expectations. Higher values at less remote sites and sites downwind from population centres show that POPs concentrations may still mainly be influenced by primary emissions. Concentrations at semi-rural sites lie between rural and urban sites; however, they can exceed the latter in some years. This can probably be attributed to short-term local effects. The data from the TOMPs network shows that concentrations of PCBs are higher in warmer than in colder months, while the seasonal patterns are less uniform for PBDEs.

• Möckel, Claudia; Halvorsen, Helene Lunder; Pedersen, Lovise Skogeng; Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla & Borgen, Anders [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2018). Spatial distribution of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in European background air.
• Halvorsen, Helene Lunder; Möckel, Claudia; Pedersen, Lovise Skogeng; Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla & Schlabach, Martin [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2018). Passive air sampling of POPs in background air along a European-Arctic transect.
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Breivik, Knut & Wania, Frank (2018). Development and evaluation of a bioaccumulation model for organic contaminants in European Arctic marine ecosystems.
• Möckel, Claudia; Halvorsen, Helene Lunder; Pedersen, Lovise Skogeng; Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Bohlin-Nizzetto, Pernilla & Borgen, Anders [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2018). Spatial distribution of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in European background air .
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Breivik, Knut & Wania, Frank (2018). Development and evaluation of a bioaccumulation model for organic contaminants in European Arctic marine ecosystems.
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Undeman, E.; Evenset, Anita; Christensen, G. N.; Whelan, M. J. & Breivik, Knut [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2018). Environmental fate and bioaccumulation of cVMS in a subarctic freshwater lake.
• Breivik, Knut (2017). Development, evaluation and application of a nested exposure assessment model for organic contaminants in the Nordic and Arctic region (NEM).
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Breivik, Knut & Nøst, Therese Haugdahl (2017). Towards an “in-house” Arctic bioaccumulation model for organic contaminants. A platform for cooperation across institutes?
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Undeman, Emma; Evenset, Anita; Christensen, Guttorm N; Whelan, Mick & Breivik, Knut [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2017). Factors affecting bioaccumulation of cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes in a subarctic benthopelagic food web. Show summary

  Cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMS) are used in personal care products and are emitted to aquatic environments through wastewater effluents. Due to the high hydrophobicity of cVMS, sediments are expected to be an important source for exposure in benthic and benthopelagic food webs. However, details of exposure pathways have yet to be fully understood. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the role of sediments in the bioaccumulation of cVMS, using a north-Norwegian lake (Lake Storvannet, 70 °N, 23 °E) as a case-study. Concentrations of cVMS were measured in benthos (chironomid larvae and the pea clam Pisidium sp.) and fish (three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), and brown trout (Salmo trutta)), while existing measurements of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs 101, 138, 153) were used to evaluate a new benthopelagic model. The aquatic module of the bioaccumulation model ACC-HUMAN was expanded to include a benthic filter feeder and a benthic predator/deposit feeder, and the model was parameterized for Storvannet. The pelagic version of the model over-predicted PCB concentrations in char and trout by factors of 3 to 16 compared to measurements (ratio between median values), and the benthopelagic model by factors of 2 to 7. Inclusion of the benthic link, therefore, improved predictions, particularly for char that feed mainly on benthos in this lake. D5 was the dominant cVMS congener in the lake, with measured concentrations of 2.0 ± 0.04, 17.8 ± 0.7, 3.2 ± 2.3, 3.8 ± 2.8, and 0.8 ± 0.6 μg/g lipid in chironomid larvae, Pisidium sp., three-spined sticklebacks, char, and trout, respectively. The benthopelagic model over-predicted cVMS concentrations in all species, but reproduced well the relationships between the different species. As Storvannet has temperatures around 0 °C for the majority of the year, the differing temperature-dependency of partitioning between organic phases and water for PCBs and cVMS was important for the model predictions. This was particularly pronounced in the benthic linkages within the model, where several differences in bioaccumulation behavior between PCBs and cVMS was observed. This highlights the need to increase the understanding of partitioning of cVMS at low temperatures. Also, it stresses the importance of understanding bioaccumulation behavior and biotransformation capacities in lower trophic levels, which are fundamental to understand also the higher trophic levels.

• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Undeman, Emma; Evenset, Anita; Christensen, Guttorm N; Whelan, Mick & Breivik, Knut [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2017). Factors affecting bioaccumulation of cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes in a sub-arctic bentho-pelagic food web. Show summary

  Cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMS) are used in personal care products and are emitted to aquatic environments through wastewater effluents. Due to the high hydrophobicity of cVMS, sediments are expected to be an important source for exposure in benthic and bentho-pelagic food webs. However, details of exposure pathways have yet to be fully understood. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the role of sediments in the bioaccumulation of cVMS in Nordic environments, using a north-Norwegian lake (Lake Storvannet) as a case-study. Concentrations of cVMS were measured in benthos (chironomid larvae and the pea clam Pisidium sp.) and fish (three-spined sticklebacks [Gasterosteus aculeatus], Arctic char [Salvelinus alpinus], and brown trout [Salmo trutta]) from the lake. Existing measurements of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs 101, 118, 138, 153, 180) were used to evaluate a new bentho-pelagic version of the bioaccumulation model ACC-HUMAN (including a benthic filter feeder and a benthic predator/deposit feeder). The model predictions of PCB concentrations in char and trout were in better agreement with measurements (predictions were within a factor of 4 to measured concentrations) compared to predictions with the pelagic-only model (factor of 8 between predictions and measurements). Predictions improved most for char, which feed mainly on benthos in this lake. This suggests that the bentho-pelagic model is a better representation of the Storvannet ecosystem than the pelagic-only model. The model was next applied to evaluate the fate of cVMS in the Storvannet food web. Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) was the dominant cVMS congener in the lake, with measured concentrations of 2.0 ± 0.04, 17.8 ± 0.7, 3.2 ± 2.3, 3.8 ± 2.8, and 0.8 ± 0.6 μg/g lipid in chironomid larvae, Pisidium sp., sticklebacks, char, and trout, respectively. Concentrations were lower, and sometimes below limits of quantification, for octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6). Predicted cVMS concentrations in benthos were underestimated compared to measurements (ratio of 0.04 to 0.4 between predictions and measurements), while predicted cVMS concentrations in fish were in good agreement with measurements (ratio of 0.5 to 2.5). Model predictions were highly sensitive to the partition coefficients between organic carbon and water (KOC) and its temperature dependence. This is because the model predicts benthic organisms to be the main source of cVMS for fish, and KOC controls bioavailability of cVMS for benthos in the model. The model furthermore predicted considerable losses of cVMS through ventilation for fish, resulting from higher fugacity in the benthic-feeding fish than in lake water. As a result, model predictions were relatively insensitive to the biotransformation rate constants in fish.

• Breivik, Knut (2017). Nye organiske miljøgifter som spres via luft i økosystemer i nord.
• Breivik, Knut (2017). Stationary sampling of ambient air in Europe - in the context of human exposure of chemicals through the environment. Show summary

  Beyond direct inhalation, the atmosphere has been shown to represent a key pathway for chemical entry via other parts of the physical environment as well as the human food-chain. Air monitoring data is therefore important for a complete understanding of human exposure to airborne chemicals. Such data are furthermore required for attempts to understand and evaluate relationships between emission sources and atmospheric concentrations - and thereby an integrated aspect of overall source-exposure relationships. In this talk, an introduction to existing databases on chemicals in ambient air will be given. The focus will highlight monitoring data and databases for selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals in European background air. Using organic contaminants as examples, the merit and limitations of different techniques to measure spatial and temporal trends of chemicals in air and deposition will be discussed in terms of exposure relevance. Finally, opportunities of combining air monitoring data with exposure models to understand and predict human exposure via the environment will be assessed.

• Breivik, Knut; MacLeod, Matthew; Wania, Frank & Eckhardt, Sabine (2017). Towards a nested multimedia fate, transport and bioaccumulation model for the Nordic region. Show summary

  Most empirical monitoring programs on organic contaminants, including POPs, typically target a specific area, country or region. The Nordic region, including remote Arctic areas such as Svalbard, is probably among the more well studied regions with respect to the empirical occurrence of organic contaminants within various ecosystems. Yet, gaps remain in our understanding of the link between sources and exposures in this region, including how source-exposure relationships may vary in space and time, for individual contaminants and across abiotic and biotic compartments. As POPs are global pollutants, sources affecting Nordic regions could both be distant and/or of more local origin. Furthermore, the persistence of POPs implies that current exposures could be a result of both historical as well as recent emissions. This calls for regional modelling strategies which are global in context yet dynamic, reflecting both the possible mobility and life-time of relevant contaminants. Here, we introduce the first version of an integrated fate, transport and exposure model for the Nordic region (Nordic Exposure Model - NEM). The point of departure for NEM are three existing models, notably BETR-Global, ACC-Human and CoZMo-POP2. In contrast to these models, theNEM model reflects the hypothesis that accurate predictions of organic contaminant exposures call for increasing resolution with increasing proximity (in space and time) to a study region of interest. Hence, NEM is being developed as a nested model, consisting of (up to) five different gridded model domains, simulated in sequence: Global (30ºx120º Lat/Long) > Northern Hemisphere (30ºx30º) > Europe (15ºx15º) > Northern Europe (7.5ºx7.5º) > Nordic region (3.75ºx3.75º). Chemical transport between neighbouring grid cells may occur by air, fresh water and seawater. Chemical inflow from the outside world and into a given domain (except the initial global domain), is based on simulations of the preceding domain. The physical environment within a given grid cell within NEM includes up to 10 different compartments (upper and lower atmosphere, broadleaf and needleleaf canopies, forest soil, uncultivated soil, agricultural soil, fresh water, fresh water sediment and marine water). The NEM model also includes the opportunity to simulate bioaccumulation in the human food-chain within a user-defined grid cell, allowing relationships between sources and biotic exposures in a specific receptor to be evaluated. Here, an overview of the initial version of NEM will be given, along with initial results using PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) as an example. Plans for further development, evaluation and opportunities for future applications will be presented.

• Graf, Carola; Breivik, Knut; Jones, Kevin C & Sweetman, Andrew J (2017). Investigating Long-term Trends in PCB Concentrations in Ambient Air: The TOMPs Network and the UK-Norway Transect. Show summary

  Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) were first synthesised in 1881, but their commercial production only began in 1929 in the USA. They were marketed under various trade names depending on the country where they were produced such as Aroclor (Monosanto, USA) and Clophen (Bayer, Europe). Because of high chemical and thermal stability, electrical resistance, and low or no flammability, PCBs had extensive applications. They were used as dielectric fluids in capacitors and transformers, in plasticisers, adhesives, inks, sealants and surface coatings. Production of PCBs peaked in the 1960s in Europe and USA; they were ultimately banned in the late 1970s / early 1980s. Before the ban, PCBs entered the environment through point and diffusive sources such as landfill sites, accidental releases/spillages via leakage during commercial use of electrical equipment and transformer and capacitor fires, or incineration of PCB waste. Current atmospheric levels of PCBs in the environment can be accounted for by ongoing primary anthropogenic emissions (e.g. accidental release of products or materials containing PCBs), volatilisation from environmental reservoirs (e.g. oceans and soils) which have previously received PCBs (secondary emissions), or incidental formation during combustion processes. The UK Toxic Organic Micro Pollutants (TOMPs) Network, which has operated since 1991, collects ambient air samples at six sites across England and Scotland, using high-volume active air samplers. The network provides long-term ambient air trend data for a range of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), including PCBs, at both urban and rural locations, and thus allows detailed studies on atmospheric fate and behaviour processes of persistent chemicals. It has played an important role in the successful understanding and modelling of their environmental sources and fate. The continuous monitoring of PCBs for the TOMPs programme has demonstrated the constant decline in their UK air concentrations over the last decades. The concentrations of all congeners are generally significantly higher at urban compared to semi-rural and rural sites. The PCB fingerprint (relative concentrations) in TOMPs samples has not changed over time, which indicates that primary diffusive sources in urban areas are still dominant and probably the controlling factor of trends in the UK ambient air PCB concentrations.In 1994, a latitudinal sampling transect from the south of England to the north of Norway was established with eleven sampling sites, mainly in remote locations, using Semi-Permeable Membrane Devices (SPMDs) as passive air samplers. The aim of this transect was to investigate spatial and temporal trends of POPs concentrations, and in particular to test the hypotheses of global distillation and fractionation. Since 1994, the UK/Norway SPMD transect has produced ten two-year samples (except 1996 – 1998) at each site. Results show that PCB concentrations have generally decreased from the south to the north of the transect, as well as over time. They have, however, levelled off in recent years, which may be explained by increasing importance of secondary emissions.

• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Halse, Anne Karine; Schlabach, Martin; Bäcklund, Are; Eckhardt, Sabine & Breivik, Knut (2017). Low concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in air at Cape Verde.
• Breivik, Knut; MacLeod, Matthew; Wania, Frank & Eckhardt, Sabine (2017). Towards a Nested Exposure Model for organic contaminants (NEM).
• Abbasi, Golnoush; Li, Li & Breivik, Knut (2017). Global and historical emission inventory of BDE-209. Show summary

  A thorough understanding of the fate of chemical in products (CiPs) within and across societies is a prerequisite to understand and predict their environmental fate. The complex processes by which chemicals are released to the environment from production, processing, use and disposal, make the tracking of CiPs in the anthroposphere a challenging task. In this study, we used a dynamic substance flow analysis model, CiP-CAFE (Chemical in Products-Comprehensive Anthropospheric Fate Estimation), to quantify the global stock and flows of BDE-209 as a chemical mixture and within products over the period of 1970 to 2050. The CiP-CAFE model divides the world into 7 regions according to regional differences in chemical industries, chemical and waste management practices as well as trade. Each region contains interconnected phases and processes which allow tracking of chemicals and quantification of stocks and flows of CiPs from one stage to the other. In this study, we used the historical production of Br and market demand of flame retardants to estimate the historical production of BDE-209. We estimated that ~1600 Kt of BDE-209 has been manufactured since 1970. Despite the discontinuation of the use of BDE-209 since 2014, our results suggest that ~400 Kt of BDE-209 is still in in-use stock globally in 2017. A total of ~1120 Kt of BDE-209 has already entered the waste stream with 52% of the total waste remains in landfills and dumping sites while the remainder of waste (48%) has been subject to irreversible waste treatment. The latter category includes inappropriate waste treatment (40%), incineration (26%), inadvertent recycling (21%) and wastewater treatment plant (13%). Global emission of BDE-209 from 1970 to 2017 was estimated to be ~80 t with 75%, 2% and 23% of the total emission released to air, water and soil, respectively. According to our estimates, more than 60% of the global emission during the production and use of BDE209-containing products occurred in more industrialized regions (North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), while more than 80% of emission during waste treatment and disposal of associated products occurred in less industrialized regions. This calls for further research in understating of emissions of harmful chemicals from throughout their entire life-cycles. The CiP-CAFE model provides a comprehensive analysis of the stock, flows and emissions of harmful chemicals that can be used as valuable tool to devise more effective chemical management plans in order to protect the environment and human health at the global scale.

• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Sandanger, Torkjel M; Nieboer, Evert; Odland, Jon Øyvind & Breivik, Knut (2017). Delayed emissions of POPs from transboundary waste streams may cause spatially and temporally divergent monitoring trends. Show summary

  Time trends in human concentrations of select persistent organic pollutants (POPs) during 1979-2007 in five repeated blood samples from 53 men in Northern Norway demonstrated clear relations between and environmental emissions. Despite considerable declines for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) since 1986, the sum of the 49 targeted POPs increased from 1979 until 2001, with per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) dominating recent blood burden measurements. Specifically, the time trends in serum concentrations of POPs, exemplified by PCB- 153, 1,1′-(2,2,2-Trichloroethane-1,1-diyl)bis(4-chlorobenzene) (DDT) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), resembled the trends in available data on their emissions, production or use. Further, emission-based mechanistic modelling, exemplified by PCBs, provided estimated blood concentrations that agreed well with the time trends observed. Our results suggest that interpretations of human biomonitoring trends for POPs should consider historic emissions. Although emissions are low in many countries compared to those in the past, many industrial POPs remain in products and waste streams even today due to the long life-time of products containing these compounds. As some of this waste is exported across country borders, this causes delayed emissions which may again cause divergent spatial and temporal trends among various monitoring studies. One example is the elevated emissions from informal waste or recycling processes in developing regions, such as of PCBs and other organic contaminants released from waste electrical and electronic equipment. Indeed, elevated concentrations of legacy POPs in humans in areas influenced by such activities have been reported. Thus, although temporal trends of the legacy POPs clearly indicate reduced human exposure to these compounds in industrialized countries, the trends in developing countries do not necessarily conform. Comparisons of the PCB concentrations from Norway, a country with no past production of PCBs and that banned new use in 1980, to available monitoring results from selected areas known to be affected by informal waste and/or recycling processes underlined that human time trends may be spatially variable across the globe, which in this specific case was likely attributed to elevated emissions from contaminants in transboundary waste streams. Clearly, knowledge of temporal and spatial differences in emissions of POPs from waste streams could guide the design and interpretation of biomonitoring studies in populations experiencing possible significant time-lags in human exposure to legacy POPs.

• Vee, Marthe; Eriksen, Freja; Sørbye, Ida Eri & Breivik, Knut (2017). Søppelgruven. [Journal]. Aftenposten Innsikt. Show summary

  Elektronisk avfall blir stjålet fra norske elektronikkbutikker, smuglet over grensen og sendt til land der brukt elektronikk er luksusvarer. Norsk søpper er en del av en global milliardindustri.

• Halse, Anne Karine; Schlabach, Martin; Schuster, Jasmin K.; Jones, Kevin C.; Steinnes, Eiliv & Breivik, Knut (2017). Corrigendum to “Endosulfan, pentachlorobenzene and short-chain chlorinated paraffins in background soils from Western Europe” (Environmental Pollution (2015) 196 (21–28) (S0269749114003893) (10.1016/j.envpol.2014.09.009)). Environmental Pollution (1987). ISSN 0269-7491. 220, p. 1477–1479. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.10.084.
• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Rylander, Charlotta; Lund, Eiliv; Sandanger, Torkjel M & Breivik, Knut (2016). Estimating time-varying PCB exposures using person-specific predictions to supplement measured values: Evaluation of agreement and application in health effect study.
• Abbasi, Golnoush & Breivik, Knut (2016). Global Historical Inventory of PBDEs: From Production and Consumption Towards Emissions. .
• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Bäcklund, Are; Eckhardt, Sabine; Halse, Anne Karine; Schlabach, Martin & Breivik, Knut (2016). Monitoring and modelling of POPs in air at Cape Verde, Africa. Show summary

  Ambient air is among the core media selected for the sampling and analysis of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention. Ambient air also provide useful information for (i) studies of global transports of POPs, and (ii) atmospheric sources and source regions. Yet, existing data on POPs in air based on active air sampling remain scarce and mainly limited to industrialized regions in the northern hemisphere. The primary objectives of this study were to (i) monitor concentrations of selected POPs in air outside West Africa, and (ii) to evaluate sources and source regions affecting measured concentrations. For this purpose, an active high-volume air sampler was installed on The Cape Verde Atmospheric Observatory (CVAO: 16.848°N, 24.871°W), a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) global station at Cape Verde outside the coast of West Africa. Sampling commenced in May, 2012 and 43 samples were collected until June 2013 (24 h sampling). The samples were analyzed for selected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexachlorbenzene (HCB) and chlordanes. The source regions of the air masses were evaluated for each sample using the FLEXPART model. FLEXPART is an atmospheric Lagrangian transport model, developed by Andreas Stohl and co-workers, which calculates the trajectories of so-called tracer particles (flexpart.eu). It was run in backward mode, in order to identify the source regions of air pollutants at a particular site. A general finding is that the concentrations measured are in the lower range in comparison to data from the literature, which is mainly attributed to the remoteness of the station from major sources and source regions. Factors controlling measured concentrations will be evaluated and discussed.

• Graf, Carola; Breivik, Knut; Jones, Kevin C & Sweetman, Andrew J (2016). The UK/Norway-Transect Investigating spatial and temporal trends for POPs.
• Breivik, Knut; Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde & Lindquist, Andrea (2016). UFO-er kartlegger miljøgifter. [Internet]. NRK.
• Breivik, Knut (2015). Intervjuet om industrielle miljøgifter i avfall og eksport til fattige land i Schrödingers katt. [TV]. NRK.
• Krogseth, Ingjerd Sunde; Warner, Nicholas Alexander; Christensen, Guttorm N.; Whelan, Mick; Breivik, Knut & Evenset, Anita [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2015). Understanding the fate and bioaccumulation of cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes in an Arctic lake. Show summary

  Cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes (cVMS) are used in personal care products and are emitted to aquatic environments through wastewater effluents. Once present in aquatic environments, they can undergo volatilization, hydrolysis or sedimentation. In ice-covered lakes, volatilization of cVMS may be limited and rates of hydrolysis may be slowed down due to low temperatures. This could potentially increase the persistence of cVMS in these systems and hence increase exposure to aquatic organisms. The main objective of this study was to develop a holistic and mechanistic understanding of cVMS behavior by combining multimedia modeling and monitoring for an Arctic lake receiving unintentional wastewater emissions. The dynamic QWASI model and the aquatic module of the ACC-HUMAN model were used to predict the seasonality of cVMS concentrations in Lake Storvannet in Hammerfest, Norway (70 °N, 23 °E). This lake receives sewage emissions from both leaking pipes and sewer overflow events, and is ice covered for approximately 6 months of the year. Lake water, surface sediments, one sediment core, Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and Brown trout (Salmo trutta) from the lake, as well as nearby river water and wastewater were sampled in March and June of 2014. In addition, marine water, surface sediments, and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) were sampled from the nearby marine harbor, where the main municipal sewage outlet is currently located. Samples were analyzed for cVMS using established analytical methods. cVMS were detected in sewage, but were below limits of quantification in lake, river, and marine water. However, cVMS were detected in lake and marine surface sediments, and in deeper sediments deposited up to 30 years ago illustrating the persistence of these compounds. cVMS were also measured in liver tissue from both Brown trout, Arctic Char and Atlantic Cod with large variations between individual fish. The cVMS concentrations in freshwater fish are likely to be enhanced through benthic exposure, stressing the importance of the sediment compartment not only for persistence but also for bioaccumulation of cVMS. Temporal variations of cVMS concentrations in Storvannet will be driven by a combination of variable emissions and seasonality in environmental conditions, which will be further investigated through model simulations.

• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Sandanger, Torkjel M; Odland, Jon Øyvind & Breivik, Knut (2015). The dynamics of the human contaminants cocktail: Employing longitudinal POPs data from Northern Norway (1979-2007) and mechanistic models. Show summary

  Humans are continuously exposed to a substantial number of contaminants, and no study can capture the overall complexity. The present work has summarized the time trends across almost thirty years for 24 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 17 organochlorine pesticides including metabolites (OCPs), 3 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and 10 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in a set of persons. These trends were based on analyses of serum sampled from 53 men in Northern Norway in 1979, 1986, 1994, 2001, and 2007. DDTs decreased from 1979, many PCBs from 1986 whereas PBDEs were low throughout and PFASs increased until 2001 and decreased thereafter. The compositional patterns changed according to the trends yet PFASs were dominant in most years. Based on these results, the understanding of temporal aspects of human concentrations can provide a holistic view on human exposure to contaminants in terms of complexity and dynamics. A close resemblance could be observed between human concentrations and the overall global emission estimates for the different compound groups. Also, emission-based environmental and human accumulation modeling could reproduce temporal trends for PCBs and the age group patterns observed in measurements. Predicting individual PCB concentrations in two cross-sectional studies including pregnant and postmenopausal women displayed realistic concentrations compared to measurements. Predicting concentrations previous in their life course revealed temporal aspects providing valuable illustrations of variation over time in PCB concentrations within and between individuals. In the longitudinal study, the time trends were specific to the different compound groups and the diverging changes likely largely relate to different production and use histories along with environmental and human persistence. These perspectives clearly show the close relation between use and concentrations and have implications for considerations of human exposure.

• Wania, Frank; Matt J., Binnington; Wood, Stephen A.; Armitage, James M; Nøst, Therese Haugdahl & Breivik, Knut (2015). Modeling the exposure history of human individuals to persistent organic pollutants. Show summary

  Combined environmental fate and food chain bioaccumulation models provide the capability to simulate, through a fully mechanistic description of the relevant thermodynamic and kinetic processes, a persistent organic pollutant (POP)’s journey from release into the environment to its accumulation in humans. Non-steady-state models allowing time-variant simulations covering periods of multiple decades have been used to estimate the average exposure history of different population cohorts to POPs. Such assessments may then serve as a complement to empirical biomonitoring studies evaluating a population's exposure to POPs. It is of substantial interest to identify sources of variability in the measured human concentrations. Biomonitoring studies often obtain additional information on the sampled individuals through questionnaires. Collected data generally include age at sampling, date of sampling, gender, body mass index, number of children and age at birth, breastfeeding habits, and detailed dietary composition. While such data can be used to find statistical associations between measured contaminant exposures and potential influential factors, Statistical analyses cannot identify causal relationships and provide ultimately no mechanistic understanding of the processes underlying human POP exposure. However, the same questionnaire responses can also be used to individualize the parameterization of the human in mechanistic exposure models. In other words, instead of only calculating average population exposure, the models can be used to simulate the distinct exposure histories of all sampled human participants individually. Here we present the results of three studies simulating the exposure of individuals to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) using the environmental fate and bioaccumulation model CoZMoMan or similar model combinations. The models generally succeed in predicting population average exposure. Also the range of predicted PCB exposures generally agrees with the range of measured exposures. Trends with key variables, such as BMI and age, were mostly similar for the measured and simulated concentration data. However, in two studies the models attributed more of the variability in PCB exposure to interindividual differences in dietary composition than a statistical analysis of the measured data would support. The measured data indicated that there were other sources of variability not currently accounted for in the models.

• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Randall, Scott; Schlabach, Martin; Paul, Alak; Rahman, Atiqur & Breivik, Knut (2015). Concentrations in air and potential emission sources of POPs in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Show summary

  At present there is limited information on concentrations of POPs (persistent organic pollutants) in air in many developing regions compared to those of industrialized countries. However, several studies have demonstrated surprisingly high levels of various legacy POPs in some developing countries, e.g. because of continued use of organochlorine pesticides or emissions of industrial-use POPs from informal recycling and disposal of e-waste (Electrical and Electronic waste). However, the potential emissions of POPs from informal shipbreaking activities in developing regions remains to be assessed. Global estimates for 2012 reveal that 1,250 ocean ships were scrapped in this year alone, and the beaches on the Chittagong coast in Bangladesh is one of the areas of most intense ship breaking in the world. The shipbreaking activities in this area have caused concern for both environmental and human health because of various contaminants released from - or emitted as a result of – these activities. The aim of the study was to monitor the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine pesticides in air in the urban environment of Chittagong city (population approximately 4 million) and in vicinity of the ship-breaking areas. A sampling campaign was carried out using passive air samplers (PASs) based on polyurethane foam (PUF) at 23 sites in February 2013. PUF was selected as sampling material because their performance is well characterized as they have previously been used extensively for spatial mapping on both a regional and global scale. Performance Reference compounds (PRCs) were furthermore used for back-calculating air concentrations. The results from the campaign in Chittagong will be compared and contrasted with concentrations of POPs in air reported from both developed and developing regions, and to discuss potential sources and source regions controlling the atmospheric burden of various POPs in the study area.

• Breivik, Knut; Armitage, James M; Wania, Frank; Sweetman, Andrew J & Jones, Kevin C (2015). Assessing the implications of export of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) towards developing regions: PCBs as a case study. Show summary

  Densely populated areas (i.e., urban centres) are largely responsible for the generation of waste electrical and Electronic equipment (WEEE/e-waste) in both industrialized and developing nations. The potential emission of both emerging and Legacy contaminants present in WEEE (e.g., organic chemicals, metals) during handling and disposal of these products is a concern with impacts at local to global scale. Over the last decade, a number of studies have reported surprisingly high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) within or outside developing regions in Asia and West Africa. As PCBs were never extensively produced nor used in these regions, this previously led us to hypothesize that there might be a potential shift in global source regions, attributed to exports of wastes containing PCBs towards developing regions. If true, it follows that global emissions, transport and exposures can neither be completely estimated, nor fully rationalized, without considering emissions caused by the global flows of relevant wastes. In this study, we have therefore updated an existing global historical PCB emission inventory to account for exports of wastes, using global flows of e-waste as a proxy for wastes containing PCBs. Our revised emission scenarios indicate that (i) global emissions may significantly increase as result of exports of wastes in comparison to reference scenario (i.e. no exports) and (ii) different long-term temporal trends in emissions within former production and use regions versus developing regions implicated as importers of wastes are expected. The second goal of this study is to simulate the global fate and transport of PCBs using emission scenarios that include potential contributions linked to the export of e-waste and compare model output to the baseline scenario (no export). To accomplish this task, we use the BETR Global 2.0 model, a publicly available fate/transport model, which represents the globe as 288 interconnected, multi-compartment zones at a spatial resolution of 15 x 15 degrees. Simulations are conducted for the period 1930–2100 and output from various locations and time periods are interpreted in the context of available monitoring data. Model output is also used to assess the potential implications of transboundary movement of wastes containing PCBs for human exposure in developing regions. However, significant uncertainties in these global emission scenarios still persist.

• Breivik, Knut; Halse, Anne Karine; Schlabach, Martin; Sweetman, Andrew J & Jones, Kevin C (2015). Organiske miljøgifter i luft i norske kystsoner med kostholdsråd på sjømat: Langtransport, lokale utslipp eller gamle synder? Show summary

  Et karakteristisk trekk ved oppførselen til mange organiske miljøgifter er deres utstrakte potensiale til å vandre mellom ulike medier, så som sedimenter, vann, jord og luft. Dette innebærer at kontrollstrategier rettet mot en av disse medier alene ikke nødvendigvis vil gi en reduksjon i den totale miljøgiftbelastningen. I flere norske kystsoner er det kostholdsråd på sjømat grunnet forhøyede forekomster av ulike organiske miljøgifter. Men effekten av en eventuell opprydding på sjøbunnen vil eksempelvis avhenge av at man har fått kontroll over aktive tilførsler fra land og luft. I dette forskningsprosjektet har vi studert forekomst og tilførsler av organiske miljøgifter i luft i kystsoner med kostholdsråd på basis av passive luftprøvetakere. Et viktig delmål har vært å vurdere om forekomst primært kan forklares med gjenværende lokale utslipp til luft eller atmosfærisk langtransport? Målekampanjen i 22 utvalgte kystsoner med kostholdsråd på sjømat ble derfor koordinert samtidig som en større kampanje for å vurdere bakgrunnsbelastningen i 34 Europeiske land (N=86) og da med særlig fokus på Norden. Resultatene fra belastede kystsoner kan dermed benyttes til å evaluere hvorvidt nivåene i norske kystsoner primært tilskrives langtransport eller lokale kilder. Viktige funn var at (1) Konsentrasjoner av PCB (polyklorerte bifenyler) var typisk lokalt forhøyet i bynære områder og opp til ~10 ganger høyere enn forventet på basis av langtransport alene. (2) HCB (heksaklorbensen) og PAH (polysykliske aromatiske hydrokarboner) var typisk sporadisk forhøyet i kystsoner med tidligere eller pågående industrielle aktivitet. (3) En urban lokalitet i Bergen var sterkt påvirket av forbudte insektmidler (Teknisk DDT og Lindan) (4) a-HCH (en viktig bestanddel i tekniske blandinger av insektmiddelet heksaklorosykloheksan) var gjennomgående forhøyet i kystsonene, noe som tilskrives avdamping fra havet («gamle synder»). Selv om forekomst av miljøgifter i norske kystsoner ofte var påvirket av lokale kilder, er det fortsatt behov for å øke forståelse av hvorvidt miljøgiftbelastningen primært skyldes gamle eller nye synder. Uten denne kunnskapen kan for eksempel kontrollstrategier rettet mot sedimenter alene vise seg å gi en svært begrenset miljøgevinst.

• Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Breivik, Knut; Wania, Frank; Rylander, Charlotta; Odland, Jon Øyvind & Sandanger, Torkjel M (2014). Person-specific predictions of PCBs in Norwegian Women: Valuable supplements to measurements for understanding lifetime exposures .
• Armitage, James M; Wania, Frank & Breivik, Knut (2014). Simulating the potential implications of transboundary waste exports on the fate and exposure to PCBs. Show summary

  Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are one of the few classes of chemicals for which relatively detailed information on production, use and emissions is available. The physical-chemical properties of these compounds are also reasonably well-characterized. Using these input data, the fate/transport and human exposure to these contaminants has been simulated at various spatial and temporal resolutions and compared to available monitoring data. While good agreement between model output and monitoring data is frequently observed, there are some notable exceptions. Of particular interest is the number of monitoring studies reporting surprisingly high levels of PCBs within or in proximity to developing nations in West Africa and South Asia. These observations led to the hypothesis that a substantial shift in PCB emissions has occurred recently, attributable to the export of wastes containing PCBs from developed countries (i.e., main historic source regions) to developing regions. Based on this hypothesis, existing historic PCB emission inventories were updated by Breivik et al. (SETAC Vancouver) using global flows of e-waste as a proxy for transboundary movement of wastes containing PCBs. The purpose of this study is to simulate and compare the global fate and transport of PCBs using the original and revised emission inventories in order to assess the potential significance of these waste exports at regional and global scales. To accomplish this task, we use the BETR Global 2.0 model, a publicly available fate/transport model which represents the globe as 288 interconnected, multi-compartment zones at a spatial resolution of 15 x 15 degrees. Simulations are conducted for the period 1930–2100 and output from various locations and time periods are interpreted in the context of available monitoring data. Model output is also used to characterize the potential implications of transboundary movement of wastes containing PCBs for human exposure in countries currently receiving these products.

• Breivik, Knut; Armitage, James M; Sweetman, Andrew J & Jones, Kevin C (2014). Exploring the possible implications of exports of waste towards developing regions for global emissions of PCBs. Show summary

  The global production of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) peaked more than 40 years ago and ceased when the last factories closed in Russia in 1993. Yet, PCBs continue to be omnipresent in the global environment. While this is partly caused by their environmental persistence, another key aspect is that most PCBs were used in closed applications with long use-life expectancies (e.g., capacitors, transformers), which may cause significant delays between production/use and primary emissions. Over the last decade, a number of studies have reported surprisingly high levels of PCBs within or outside developing regions in Asia and West Africa. As PCBs were never extensively produced nor used in these regions, this previously led us to hypothesize that there might be a potential shift in global source regions, attributed to exports of wastes containing PCBs towards developing regions. If true, it follows that global emissions cannot be completely estimated, nor fully rationalized, without considering emissions caused by the global flows of relevant wastes. In this study, we have therefore updated an existing global historical PCB emission inventory to account for exports of wastes, using global flows of e-waste as a proxy for wastes containing PCBs. Our revised emission scenarios indicate that (i) global emissions may significantly increase as result of exports of wastes in comparison to reference scenario (i.e. no exports) and (ii) different long-term temporal trends in emissions within former production and use regions versus developing regions implicated as importers of wastes are expected. In summary, our results therefore suggest that exports of wastes may lead to divergent temporal and spatial patterns of PCBs in the global environment (see Armitage et al. SETAC Vancouver). Yet, significant uncertainties in these global emission scenarios (i.e. our hypothesis with regard to the magnitude, location and timing of PCB emissions) still persist because of (i) a lack of accurate activity data (flows of relevant wastes), as well as (ii) studies allowing for accurate emission estimates from informal recycling and disposal in developing regions.

• Breivik, Knut; Jones, Kevin C; Sweetman, Andrew J; Armitage, James M; Wania, Frank & Zhang, Gan [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2014). Transboundary movement of wastes containing industrial POPs (iPOPs): Implications for fate, transport and research needs.
• Breivik, Knut; Armitage, James M & Wania, Frank (2014). Long-range transport of industrial-use organic contaminants with e-waste: possible implications for emissions, transport and environmental exposure.
• Criado, M.A. & Breivik, Knut (2014). Basura electronica: dónde acaban los móviles y ordenadores que tiramos? [Newspaper]. Spain.
• Ilyin, Ilia; Batrakova, Nadezhda; Gusev, Aleksey; Kleimenov, Mikhail; Rozovskaya, Olga & Shatalov, Victor [Show all 18 contributors for this article] (2021). Heavy metals and POPs:Pollution assessment of toxic substances on regional and global scales. Meteorological Synthesizing Centre - East.
• Jørgensen, Susanne Jøntvedt; Vogt, Rolf David; Nipen, Maja & Breivik, Knut (2020). Studying spatial trends of heavy metals in soil from a tropical region. Kjemisk Institutt, Universitetet i Oslo.
• Travnikov, Oleg; Batrakova, Nadezhda; Gusev, Aleksey; Ilyin, Ilia; Kleimenov, Mikhail & Rozovskaya, Olga [Show all 16 contributors for this article] (2020). Assessment of transboundary pollution by toxic substances: Heavy metals and POPs. Meteorological Synthesizing Centre - East (MSC-E).
• Gusev, Alexey; Rozovskaya, Olga; Shatalov, Victor; Vulykh, Nadejda; Aas, Wenche & Breivik, Knut [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2018). Persistent organic pollutants: assessment of transboundary pollution on global, regional, and national scales. Meteorological Synthesizing Centre - East (MSC-E).
• Aas, Wenche; Rundén-Pran, Elise; Breivik, Knut; Sundseth, Kyrre; Høiskar, Britt Ann & Platt, Stephen Matthew [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2017). NILU's Strategic Institute Initiatives (SIS) 2016. NILU. ISSN 978-82-425-2879-7. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Each of NILU’s Strategic Institute Initiatives (SIS) is required to deliver a popular science report annually to the Research Council. This report contains NILU’s final reports for the SIS-projects that ended in 2016, and annual SIS-reports for 2016 for the other SIS-projects.

• Colette, Augustin; Aas, Wenche; Banin, Lindsay; Braban, Christine F.; Ferm, Martin & Ortiz, Alberto [Show all 56 contributors for this article] (2016). Air pollution trends in the EMEP region between 1990 and 2012. Joint Report of the EMEP Task Force on Measurements and Modelling (TFMM), Chemical Co-ordinating Centre (CCC), Meteorological Synthesizing Centre-East (MSC-E), Meteorological Synthesizing Centre-West (MSC-W). NILU. ISSN 978-82-425-2834-6. Full text in Research Archive
• Aas, Wenche; Breivik, Knut; Fiebig, Markus; Høiskar, Britt Ann Kåstad; Pacyna, Elisabeth G & Rundén-Pran, Elise [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2016). NILU's Strategic Institute Initiatives (SIS) 2015. NILU. ISSN 978-82-425-2819-3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Alle NILUs strategiske instituttsatsinger (SIS) skal levere en populærvitenskapelig framstilling til Norges forskningsråd hvert år. Denne rapporten inneholder alle NILUs årlige SIS-rapporter for 2015.

• Lopez-Aparicio, Susana; Myhre, Cathrine Lund; Fiebig, Markus; Schlabach, Martin; Aas, Wenche & Breivik, Knut [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2015). NILU’s Strategic Institute Initiatives (SIS) - 2014. NILU. ISSN 978-82-425-2758-5. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Each of NILU’s Strategic Institute Initiatives (SIS) is required to deliver a popular science report annually to the Research Council. This report contains all of NILU’s annual SIS-reports for 2014

• Ekeberg, Dag; Halse, Anne Karine; Schlabach, Martin; Breivik, Knut & Kallenborn, Roland (2014). Long-Range atmospheric transport and deposition of organic pollutants (POPs) in North Western Europe. NMBU. ISSN 978-82-575-1248-4.

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