DISTRIBUTION OF CHLORINATED ORGANIC-SUBSTANCES FROM PULP-MILLS

This paper deals primarily with the spread of extractable organic chlorine (EOCl) in the sediments of the Bothnian Sea and the northern part of the Baltic. There exists a clear linkage between the spread and the concentration of EOCl in surficial sediments and the bottom dynamic conditions, such that high contents generally appear close to the pulp mills and within areas of accumulation, and low contents appear in sediments from areas of erosion and transportation. Diffuse leakage from land, emissions from urban areas, or from steel and petrochemical industries do not seem to be of any major importance for this characteristic distribution pattern of EOCl in sediments; sediment core data indicate an ongoing increase in EOCl-contamination. Additional aspects of the study are discussed.