TY - JOUR T1 - Sources of PCDD/Fs, non-ortho PCBs and PAHs in sediments of high and low impacted transboundary rivers (Belgium-France) JF - Chemosphere Y1 - 2011 A1 - Sanctorum,H. A1 - M. Elskens A1 - Leermakers,M. A1 - Gao,Y. A1 - Charriau,A. A1 - Billon,G. A1 - Séverine Goscinny A1 - Cooman,W. A1 - Baeyens,W. KW - Case KW - CONSUMPTION KW - contribution KW - Fraction KW - France KW - IS KW - LEVEL KW - levels KW - Non-ortho PCB KW - observed KW - ORIGIN KW - PAH KW - PAHs KW - past KW - PCB KW - Pcbs KW - PCDD/F KW - PROCESSES KW - Ratio KW - Ratios KW - Reduction KW - Sample KW - Samples KW - Sediments KW - Upper-Scheldt river KW - use KW - Yser river AB - PAHs, PCDD/Fs and non-ortho PCBs have been assessed in Yser and Upper-Scheldt river sediments. Higher contamination levels were observed in the Upper-Scheldt sediments: maximum concentrations for the 16 US-EPA PAHs, PCDD/Fs and non-ortho PCBs respectively amount to 8.9 mg kg-1, 12 ng TEQ kg-1 and 5.1 ng TEQ kg-1. Diagnostic PAH ratios in sediments and atmospheric samples suggest that the PAH compounds are from pyrolytic origin, more specifically combustion processes. The huge consumption of coal in cokes-ovens and smelters and its use for house-heating in Northern France, although decreasing during the last decades, are in support of that suggestion. PCDD/F fingerprints in sediments and deposition material indicate that OCDD is the dominant congener. In addition use of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in the past led to a minor contribution of PCDD/Fs in our sediment samples. Non-ortho PCBs form a substantial fraction of the total TEQ concentrations observed in the sediments. Since the 1980s and 1990s a substantial reduction of the PCDD/F sediment concentrations is observed, but this is not the case for the PAHs VL - 85 SN - 0045-6535 CP - 2 U1 - 2115 M3 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.06.031 ER -