9. The Trend of POP Pollution in the Albanian
Adriatic Coast:
Case study: PCBs (1992-1996)
by Mr. K. Koci
The first determinations of PCBs in Albania were made in the year 1992. Different batches of transformer oils were analyzed at that time and it was confirmed that the concentration of total PCBs in no case went beyond 1 ppm. During the six following years of transition time many old transformers were replaced and transformer oil from different sellers has been imported as well. At the beginning of this year we analyzed again transformer oils from big transformers of Tirana and Durres region and found out that the PCB concentration have increased, in some of the oils up to 50 ppm ( Table 1).
Beginning from the year 1993, in the framework of the MEDPOL Phase II project, PCB-s have been systematically analyzed in sediments and biota of the Adriatic Coast. In Fig. 1, on the map, are shown the sampling sites. Comparing the available data4),5),6),7),8),, in the year 1993 the level of total PCB-s in our coastal region1),2),3) was the lowest of the whole Adriatic Sea, ranging from around 1 to 5 ppb in sediments and from around 10 to 20 ppb for mussels (fresh weight). The pattern of the PCB-s confirmed their mostly airborne origin (predominance of most volatile PCB-congeners, like Aroclor 1242, 1254)9),10),11). In the coming years we found a distinct increase of the PCB concentration in sediments and biota. The pattern of the PCB congeners has changed as well, in favor of the less volatile technical mixtures (like Aroclor 1260), speaking for land-based source contribution. The histograms of Fig. 2-5 show clearly this trend. In some sampling sites, especially in the coastal region in front of Tirana and near the Durres Harbor (Sampling sites ALB2/C1.2), this increase sometimes ranges up to five time in sediments. This increase is less pronounced in the southern part of the coast where there is less contribution from pollution.
Our conclusion is that this increase is due to the importation of transformer oils contaminated with PCB-s and the malfunctioning of the transformer units as well. Another source of pollution is probably the used oil spilled everywhere from old cars imported in Albania during the last period. The number of personal cars in our country has increased from about 2000 in 1990 to more than 150000 today, and most of them are used cars.
Although the PCB-pollution in our country is still not critical, we need a more detailed study of the PCB content of different transformer oils of all high tension transformer units throughout Albania, in order to:
-avoid mixing of contaminated oils with uncontaminated oils,
-finding ways and resources for the disposal of contaminated oils.
Table 1 PCBs Content of Big- Transformer Oils (April 1998)
Sampling Site |
Designation |
å PCBs (m g/g) |
||
Tirana Substation 1 |
Transformer TI 1-0 |
1.1 |
||
Tirana Substation 1 |
Transformer TI 2-0 |
1.9 |
||
Tirana Substation 1 |
Recycling Unit |
9.2 |
||
Tirana Substation 1 |
Recycling Unit(Oil/Soil) |
5.9 |
||
Tirana Substation 2 |
Transformer SE 1-0 |
0.3 |
||
Tirana Substation 2 |
Transformer SE 2-0 |
1.1 |
||
Tirana Substation 2 |
Transformer SE 3-0 |
1.0 |
||
Tirana Substation 3 |
Transformer TR 1-0 |
1.5 |
||
Tirana Substation 3 |
Transformer TR 2-0 |
1.6 |
||
Durres Substation 1 |
Transformer SH 1-0 |
0.9 |
||
Durres Substation 1 |
Interrupter SH 11-S |
42.2 |
||
Fig.1 Sampling sites of the MEDPOL II Project
Fig. 2 PCB-congeners in sediments near Durres Harbor
Fig. 3 PCB-congeners in Mytilus Galloprovincialis, Durres Harbor
Fig. 4 PCB-congeners in Mytilus Galloprovincialis, Semani River Mouth
Fig. 5 PCB-congeners
in Mytilus Galloprovincialis, Vlora Bay