Assessment of organochlorine pesticides in the atmosphere of South Korea: spatial distribution, seasonal variation, and sources

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are widely used in certain countries. We determined atmospheric concentrations, distribution patterns, and seasonal variations of OCPs at four sites in South Korea for 1 year. Samples of 22 OCPs were collected using a high-volume air sampler, and measured via the isotope dilution method with HRGC/HRMS. In South Korea, pentachlorobenzene (PeCB), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCB), and endosulfan (EnSF) were dominant, accounting for > 87% of total OCPs. Spatial distributions showed significant differences and the highest levels were observed in Seosan (295.2 pg·m−3), indicating the compounding potential of diverse sources as Seosan has concentrated large-scale industrial complexes and agricultural activity (Seoul: 243.6 pg·m−3 > Jeju: 193.5 pg·m−3 > Baengnyeong: 178.2 pg·m−3). The isomeric ratios of OCPs in the South Korean atmosphere indicated that the dominant sources of HCB and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane were primarily used in the past; meanwhile, chlordane (CHL) and EnSFs were derived from recent material inputs. Seasonally, OCP concentrations largely peaked in summer with minimum values in winter. This apparent temperature dependence suggests the re-volatilization of accumulated chemicals into the atmosphere. Additionally, an air mass back trajectory indicated the influence of pollutants released from a reservoir through long-range atmospheric transport in the summer. In particular, restricted OCPs are primarily released into the atmosphere by inadvertent sources, such as industrial activities and volatilization from contaminated areas. Thus, severe OCP pollution in Korea is due to the mobile nature of the particles. These data can be useful for the continuous monitoring of long-range transported air pollutants that are transferred between countries.