Research Information System
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, vol.213, no.1-4, pp.375-388, 2010 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
The spatial distribution of several air pollutants emitted from iron-steel industries in Hatay-Iskenderun industrial region in Turkey was investigated by measuring their concentrations in soil. Collected soil samples (n=20) were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs; i.e., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and polychlorinated naphthalenes), anions, and trace elements. Generally, all measured POP concentrations and marker trace elements for iron-steel industry (Zn, Pb, and Cu) were high relative to those reported previously for rural and urban areas around the world, and they were comparable to those measured recently in a similar industrial region (Aliaga, Izmir, Turkey). For all investigated POPs, elements, and anions, the highest concentrations were measured at points located north of the iron-steel industries where their emissions are transported by the prevailing southerly winds. The spatial distribution and levels of POPs, elemental, and anionic concentrations indicated that the iron-steel plants in Hatay-Iskenderun region are important sources for these pollutants. Statistically significant relationships between several organic and inorganic pollutants further confirmed that they are emitted by common sources (iron-steel plants). © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.