PureAlps - Monitoring of Persistent Pollutants in the Alps (2020)

The report summarizes the results and findings from PureAlps and its predecessor projects from 2005 to 2019. The focus is on ambient air concentrations and deposition rates of:

• Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and -furans (PCDD/F),
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB),
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs),
• organochlorine pesticides (OCP)
• halogenated flame retardants

The measurements show that chemicals from the group of organochlorine pesticides, in particular, demonstrate the successes of international chemical regulation, but point to unsolved problems with pollutants such as PCBs, as well. In addition, the measuring stations detect individual novel compounds from the group of flame retardants and organochlorine chemicals, for which international regulation is still pending.