27 water samples from several rivers in the Swiss Canton Graubünden were analysed for PCBs. As expected, the highest PCB concentrations were measured in the water of the river Spöl, where in 2016 approx. 3 km of the river were contaminated with PCBs after an incident during PCB remediation and renovation works.

Surprisingly, elevated levels of PCB were also detected in three other rivers. Further information as well as the press release published by the Office for the Environment of the Canton Graubünden can be accessed online.

The press release was published following the article “PCB – Das Gift, das man vergessen möchte” (PCB – the poison you would like to forget) in the Swiss magazine “Beobachter”. The cover story in the “Beobachter” of March 2018 not only provides information on PCB contamination in watercourses but also highlights that the use of contaminated construction materials (e.g. in sealants and paints) has resulted in the contamination of farms and their animals. The third topic of the article are atmospheric PCB concentrations in urban areas.

One possible source of PCB contamination of rivers and lakes are bridges with PCB containing anti-corrosion coatings and paints. In case of inexpert remediation works, large amounts of contaminated particles and dust are released into the environment, the water and the surrounding soils.

Further links to the topic:
Schweizer Fernsehen
Infosperber