Transport of organochlorine pesticides across the air/sea interface during the aerosol process

A modified Gershey apparatus was used to study the transfer to the atmosphere of selected organochlorine pesticides from salt solutions with and without the addition of ionic and non-ionic surfactants at different concentrations and from untreated and filtered Tyrrhenian sea water. Pesticides were transported into the atmosphere both in the gas phase and in the liquid aerosol depending on their chemical structure and their physical characteristics (surface properties, volatility, water solubility, hydrophobicity). The results obtained gave useful information about the behaviour of the tested organochlorinated compounds in long-range transport from temperate environments to frigid polar regions.