Persistent Organic Contaminants in Alpine Waters

Organic chemicals that are sufficiently persistent are capable of undergoing long-range transport and travel great distances from their sources through the atmosphere. Those organic chemicals that are more efficiently scavenged from the atmosphere in alpine environments than in the surrounding areas can become enriched in mountains, i.e. are found in higher than background concentrations at higher altitudes. This is confirmed by measurements in snow and glacial ice as well as in the waters and aquatic and lotic biota of mountains. Those organic contaminants that exhibit increasing concentrations with elevation are often also those expected to exhibit bioaccumulation and biomagnification, i.e. to achieve higher concentrations at higher trophic levels. As the effects of long-term exposure to many of these chemicals is not yet understood, and as they are – or are structurally related to – known toxins, the presence of higher-than-background concentrations of certain POCs in alpine environments is of considerable concern.