PCBs IN FRESHWATER AND MARINE SEDIMENTS: TRANSPORT, TRANSFORMATION AND TREATMENT Organized by

Introduction Persistent chemical contaminants that accumulate in the environment and in food webs result in long-term threats to public health and ecosystem stability. For example, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), widely used in industry between 1929 and 1978, are stable, lipophilic and chemically inert which allows them to adhere to organic particles and persist in the environment. These persistent chemicals enter food webs with lipid-rich cell membranes and adipose tissues eventually become a sink for these contaminants in living organisms. PCBs have been associated with neural, behavioral and developmental defects in children, and with the disruption in endocrine and reproductive systems in human adults as well as in many vertebrates [1]. The influence of PCB contamination has caused great concern in fish consumption. Consequently, PCB contaminants in lakes, rivers and oceans damage commercial fishing industries. The extended range of PCB distribution leads to a broad effect on the global ecosystem.