Scopus İndeksli Yayınlar Koleksiyonu / Scopus Indexed Publications Collection
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/7148
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Article Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 1Understanding the Role of a Specific Microenvironment in Personal Exposure To Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds Using Silicone Wristbands(Royal Soc Chemistry, 2025) Akmermer, Zulfikar; Demirtepe, HaleAssessment of personal exposure to semi-volatile organic compounds was facilitated using silicone wristbands (SWBs), an easy-to-use sampler that reflects total inhalation and dermal exposure from all the microenvironments and the activities in which the user was involved. Hence, SWBs help understand exposure from various routes, activities, and microenvironments. Offices are critical microenvironments where workers spend one-third of their daily time on weekdays; hence exposure from offices should be more extensively studied. This study aimed to investigate the personal exposure of university personnel and elaborate on the contribution of the exposure due to the office air to their overall exposure using SWBs. One SWB was worn by the participant, and another was hung in their office. After seven days of sampling on the wrist, exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was found to be related to combustion activities at home or from open fire, whereas exposure to organophosphate esters and phthalates was suggested to originate from building materials, such as flooring materials and paints, and consumer products, e.g. mattresses and furniture. PAHs in the participants' offices were influenced by the transport of outdoor air and phthalates from the ceiling material. Then, we estimated the equivalent air concentrations using the SWBs sampled from the offices and previously developed sampling rates and partition coefficients. The estimated office air exposure contributions to total inhalation and dermal exposure were 83%, 51%, and 39% for fluorene, tri(n-butyl) phosphate, and tris(2-chloro isopropyl) phosphate, respectively. These findings were consistent with the statistical analysis of personal data. To conclude, this study highlighted the importance of specific microenvironments in our exposure to particular SVOCs, offering strategies for indoor air quality management and human health risk assessment.Article Citation - WoS: 2Citation - Scopus: 2Surface Sediments as a Sink and Risk Source for Legacy Pops During Waste Management Practices(Elsevier Sci Ltd, 2025) Demirtepe, HalePersistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are globally recognized contaminants due to their persistence, bioaccumulative properties, and toxicity. Despite regulatory efforts, these compounds continue to enter the environment through improper waste management practices, including shipbreaking activities. This study investigates the PCB and PBDE contamination of marine sediments along a 30 km coastline in Aliaga, T & uuml;rkiye, involving one of the world's largest shipbreaking yards. Sixteen surface sediment samples were analyzed for 46 PCB and 23 PBDE congeners. The results revealed Sigma 46PCBs ranging from 5.17 to 4750 ng/g and Sigma 23PBDEs from non-detectable to 5053 ng/g. Shipbreaking activities exhibited the highest concentrations, while the sediments sampled close to beaches had the lowest POP contamination. Source apportionment using principal component analysis (PCA) identified distinct contamination patterns, associating higher-chlorinated PCBs with shipbreaking and lower-chlorinated PCBs and PBDEs with land-based industrial emissions and urban runoff. Ecological risk evaluation showed that most sediment samples exceeded sediment quality guidelines, with some PCB and PBDE congeners posing moderate to high risks to benthic ecosystems. Particularly, PCBs 28 and 52 exhibited low to high risk for almost all sediment samples. This study emphasizes the urgent need for improved waste management practices, particularly for POP-containing materials, to mitigate ecological risks. Shipbreaking yards are identified as hotspots for legacy POP contamination, necessitating international collaboration and stricter enforcement of environmental regulations as shipbreaking operations encompass cross-country transfer of wastes. Findings highlight the critical importance of remediation strategies to protect marine environments.