Distribution of Polychlorinated Naphthalene Congeners inEnvironmental and Source-Related Samples

Polychlorinated naphthalene (CN) congener profiles inenvironmental and source related samples were compared graphically and byprincipal component analysis. Samples investigated included biological,sediment, water, and air samples, technical polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)and polychlorinated naphthalene (PCN) formulations, as well as municipalwaste incineration (MWI) fly ash and graphite electrode sludge. Biologicalsamples showed a preferential enrichment of planar, 1,3,5,7-substitutedtetra-, penta-, and hexachlorinated congeners and most of these samplesshowed profiles that displayed some similarity to those found in thetechnical PCB formulations. Sediment samples representing diffuse pollution,i.e., sediment samples from remote sites, showed an elevatedabundance of the planar hexa- and heptaCN congeners(1,2,3,4,6,7-/1,2,3,5,6,7- and 1,2,3,4,5,6,7-). The CN congener profile foundin these sediment samples and the two air samples were more similar to thetechnical PCB formulations than to the investigated MWI and graphite sludgesamples. Samples from three PCB contaminated lakes displayed similar congenerprofiles as Aroclor 1242, 1254 and Clophen A40. Two sediment samples and apike sample collected from the vicinity of a chloroalkali plant showedprofiles that were closely related to the investigated graphite electrodesludge sample. None of the environmental samples displayed profiles similarto low or medium chlorinated technical PCN (Halowax 1099, 1013, and 1014).