diffuse pollution of the sea by persistent organic pollutants as measured in plastic pellets sampled in kato achaia

Abstract

Plastic pellets are widely distributed in the ocean all over the world and finally end-up on the beaches. They have been observed in many locations in the world. Since they float they are in contact with organic pollutants while in the sea. They are hydrophobic organic materials and thus they are a favourable medium for persistent organic pollutants to absorb to. They are used in the present study to determine the diffuse pollution of Kato Achaia beach, Greece. Samples of pellets were taken from the beach. The pellets were extracted and PCBs, DDTs, HCHs, and PAHs were measured. The main points of this study are a) pollution is higher from agricultural pollutants than industrial, b) pollution from DDT is not new but still persists from previous applications, and c) pollution in Kato Achaia, Greece is low to moderate compared with other places in the world.