Hydrophobic organic compounds in water: Physical constants and levels in Winyah Bay, South Carolina and Lake Baikal, Siberia

Organic pollutants are pervasive constituents of surface waters throughout the world. Therefore, understanding their physical behavior and determining levels is important.;The Henry's law constant (H) quantifies partitioning between air and water and is needed for air-sea exchange studies. This parameter was measured in distilled water and artificial seawater as a function of temperature using the gas-stripping method.;The partitioning of hydrophobic organic compounds to natural organic matter affects toxicity and fugacity. The binding constant, K;Winyah Bay, South Carolina receives pollutants from various sources including pesticide and stormwater runoff. Pesticides, herbicides, PAHs in subsurface waters and the microlayer (top ;Organochlorines (polychlorinated biphenyls, hexachlorocyclohexanes, chlordanes, toxaphene and DDTs) have been found in Great Lakes and Arctic water and biota, often in areas with no historical usage. Levels of organochlorines were quantified in samples of water, plankton, fish and seal collected from Lake Baikal, Siberia in June 1991. Concentration of organochlorines in water were comparable to the Great Lakes, except for chlordanes, which were lower. Levels of contaminants in the Baikal seal generally fall in the range of those from ringed seals in the Canadian Arctic. A significant correlation was found between bioconcentration factors and K...