Chapter 9
Source Characterisation
and Contamination
9.1 Introduction
Nowadays, the environment is being continuously contaminated by different pollutants, including many organic pollutants that are chiral. It is well known that several
toxic pollutants enter into the human body via the food chain. Well-known toxic
chiral contaminants include pesticides, plasticisers, phenols, biphenyls, polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons and some drugs. It is interesting to mention that, nowadays,
also drugs, present in the environment, are considered as new emerging pollutants
(Xing et al. 2011). Therefore, in spite of curing properties, chiral drugs are considered as well as pollutants if present in the environment. Often, this is due to the fact
that one of the enantiomers exhibits toxic properties. For example, in the case of
thalidomide the (-)-enantiomer is known to be teratogenic (Schmahl et al. 1988;
Eriksson et al. 1998). Additionally, γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH)—an achiral
pesticide—degrades in chiral and toxic γ-pentachlorocyclohexene (γ-PCCH) enantiomers (Klobes et al. 1998; Moisey et al. 2001; Yang et al. 2010). This chapter deals
with the source characterisation and contamination of chiral pollutants.
9.2 Source Characterisation
The determination of pollution sources, that is, assigning the origin of the contamination, is a very important aspect in controlling the pollution problem. Additionally,
source characterisation provides information about the overhauling nature of the
pollutants (Hutson and Roberts 1983; Grosjean, South Pacific Regional Environment Programme et al. 1991; Schnoor 1992; McFarland et al. 1995; Jain and Ali
1997; Meyers and Dittrick 1999; Hegeman and Laane 2002; Beiras 2018). There are
many sources of chiral pollutant contamination. In general, these are divided into
two parts, that is, point and non-point sources.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
R. Kallenborn et al., Chiral Environmental Pollutants,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62456-9_9
255
Source Characterisation
and Contamination
9.1 Introduction
Nowadays, the environment is being continuously contaminated by different pollutants, including many organic pollutants that are chiral. It is well known that several
toxic pollutants enter into the human body via the food chain. Well-known toxic
chiral contaminants include pesticides, plasticisers, phenols, biphenyls, polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons and some drugs. It is interesting to mention that, nowadays,
also drugs, present in the environment, are considered as new emerging pollutants
(Xing et al. 2011). Therefore, in spite of curing properties, chiral drugs are considered as well as pollutants if present in the environment. Often, this is due to the fact
that one of the enantiomers exhibits toxic properties. For example, in the case of
thalidomide the (-)-enantiomer is known to be teratogenic (Schmahl et al. 1988;
Eriksson et al. 1998). Additionally, γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH)—an achiral
pesticide—degrades in chiral and toxic γ-pentachlorocyclohexene (γ-PCCH) enantiomers (Klobes et al. 1998; Moisey et al. 2001; Yang et al. 2010). This chapter deals
with the source characterisation and contamination of chiral pollutants.
9.2 Source Characterisation
The determination of pollution sources, that is, assigning the origin of the contamination, is a very important aspect in controlling the pollution problem. Additionally,
source characterisation provides information about the overhauling nature of the
pollutants (Hutson and Roberts 1983; Grosjean, South Pacific Regional Environment Programme et al. 1991; Schnoor 1992; McFarland et al. 1995; Jain and Ali
1997; Meyers and Dittrick 1999; Hegeman and Laane 2002; Beiras 2018). There are
many sources of chiral pollutant contamination. In general, these are divided into
two parts, that is, point and non-point sources.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
R. Kallenborn et al., Chiral Environmental Pollutants,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62456-9_9
255