Environ. Sci. Technol. 2005, 39, 8664-8670
Comparison of Haloacetic Acids in the Environment of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres B . F . S C O T T , * ,† C . S P E N C E R , † J . W . M A R T I N , †,# R . B A R R A , ‡ H . A . B O O T S M A , X,§ K . C . J O N E S , | A. E. JOHNSTON,⊥ AND D. C. G. MUIR† National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada, University of Concepcio´n, Concepcio´n, Chile, Lake Malawi/Nyasa Biodiversity Conservation Project, Senga Bay, Malawi, University of Lancaster, U.K., and Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, U.K. AL5 2JQ
Haloacetic acids (HAAs) are a family of compounds whose environmental concentrations have been extensively studied, primarily in Europe. Depending on the compound, their sources are believed to be both natural and anthropogenic. To better understand possible sources and contribute to the knowledge of the global distribution of these compounds, especially between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, samples of precipitation, soils, and conifer needles were collected from Canada, Malawi, Chile, and the U.K. Precipitation samples exhibited highest HAA concentrations in collections from Canada, and lowest in those from Malawi. Malawi samples contained measurable levels of monobromoacetic acid (MBA) (56 ng/ L) unlike those from most other locations (
