Spatiotemporal distribution and alpine behavior of short chain chlorinated paraffins in air at Shergyla Mountain and Lhasa on the Tibetan Plateau of China - Liang Yong

Pristine high-altitude mountains are ideal areas for studying the potential mechanism behind the long-range transport and environmental behavior of persistent organic pollutants in remote areas. Short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are the most complex halogenated contaminants in the environment, and have attracted extensive worldwide interest in recent years. In this study, the spatiotemporal concentrations and distributions of SCCPs in air collected from Shergyla Mountain (located in the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau) and Lhasa were investigated during 2012–2015. Generally, the total SCCP levels at Shergyla Mountain and Lhasa were between 130 and 1300 pg/m3 and 1100–14440 pg/m3, respectively. C10 and C11 components were the most abundant homologue groups, indicating that lighter SCCP homologue groups are capable of relatively long-range atmospheric transport. Relatively high but …