Baltic news
Swedes point finger at Baltic airborne pollution
Friday 16 January 2009
A study by Sweden's environmental protection agency (EPA) of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Baltic Sea has concluded that the atmosphere is the "dominant external source" of PCBs and a "major source" of dioxins in the region.
Atmospheric deposition of PCBs in particular "is much larger than the estimated riverine inputs and known direct inputs, and... from the sediments", the Swedish agency says.
The 140-page report, released on Friday, calls for further research into long range atmospheric transport of dioxins, PCBs and HCB in the Baltic Sea environment "whereby sources in continental Europe play a major role". The EU is due to issue a strategy and action plan for the Baltic Sea by June (EE 30/09/08 http://www.endseurope.com/15568).
Follow-up: Swedish EPA report http://www.naturvardsverket.se/Documents/publikationer/978-91-620-5912-5.pdf
(in English) and press release
(in Swedish).
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