PERSISTENT CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS (PCHCS), SOURCE- ORIENTED MONITORING IN AQUATIC MEDIA 7. RELEASES FROM SEDIMENTS FOLLOWING BUILDING ACTIVITIES IN BERLIN.

The assessment of data from the Fischereiamt Berlin (FiA) concerning the load of fishes (here only eels) from Berlin waters with PCHCs from 1984-2007 has led to the following results. Partly extremely high were the contents of sDDT, mainly in areas influenced by the former VEBC which has produced DDT containing preparations until 1986. The compounds firstly deposited in soil sediments. The prevailing equilibria have been disturbed by several building activities, the constituents of sDDT were released so that they are present until today in partially outstanding amounts. In the vicinity of comparable chemical enterprises at the river Hochrhein (Grenzach, km 160, chemical industry in Basel, CH) and Niederrhein (Hitdorf, km 705, BAYER-Werke), the analogous data in 2000 were clearly lower than at the Teltowkanal, Rudow, km 30, in Berlin. Similar high sDDT loads were found at the tributaries of the river Elbe, Bilina, at the outlet of SPOLCHEMIE, UstI n. L. (Aussig) and Mulde in the vicinity of the chemical enterprise Bitterfeld. The isomers of HCH which was also processed at the former VEBC are much less persistent and only found in traces after 1995. The also very high concentrations of the PCB congeners mainly in the rivers Stadtand Unterspree have changed only marginally during the time of observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]