DETERMINATION OF SOME AIR CHLORINATED ORGANIC POLLUTANTS IN KRRABA TUNNEL, ALBANIA, USING MOSS AS BIOINDICATOR

Air quality measurements of highway tunnels have attracted the attention of scientists, as they represent cumulative contribution of different sources of pollutants that include direct emissions and resuspensions. Active biomonitoring, so called “moss bag technique” was used for monitoring of some organic pollutants in Krraba Tunnel (Tirana ? Elbasan highway). This is an important tunnel, where a big number of vehicles pass every day. Hypnum cupressiforme moss bags were placed in six stations from the entrance to the exit of the tunnel, and kept there for six months. Concentrations of organochlorine compounds, such as organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorobenzenes and DDTs were determined in moss samples. After collection, the moss samples were extracted in hexane/dichloromethane, cleaned-up in an activated Florisil column and injected in a GC Varian 450, with μECD. A Rtx-5 capillary column (30m x 0.32 mm x 0.25?m) was used for organochlorine pollutants analysis. Moss samples collected in the tunnel entrance had low concentrations of chlorobenzenes and OCPs, from which the HCHs were the most abundant. Highly chlorinated PCB congeners and DDTs were detected in all moss samples.