A dredging and disposal project of Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) will place 3.5x106 m3of sediment into a confined disposal facility (CDF). The close proximity of the CDF to houses and public schools causes concern of airborne PCB exposure to the surrounding population especially school students. Air samples are simultaneously collected indoors and outdoors using polyurethane foam based passive samplers (PAS-PUF) and/or high volume air samplers (Hi-Vol) deployed in two communities at East Chicago, Indiana and Columbus Junction, Iowa. Columbus Junction is a rural community that has no known sources of PCBs. The indoor and outdoor paired air samples collected in the two communities were extracted and analyzed for the full suite of PCBs using GC/MS/MS (Figure 1). The PCB magnitude, profiles and indoor/outdoor ratios are compared between the two communities and to air samples collected immediately next to and over the IHSC (Figure 2). 

Indoor and outdoor airborne PCBs in residential areas of East Chicago, IN and Columbus Junction, IA

246th National Meeting (2013)

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