RESEARCH ARTICLE Soil burden by persistent organochlorine compounds in the vicinity of a coal-fired power plant in Croatia: a comparison study with an urban-industrialized area Marija Dvoršćak 1 & Sanja Stipičević 1 & Gordana Mendaš 1 & Vlasta Drevenkar 1 & Gordana Medunić 2 & Zvjezdana Stančić 3 & Dinko Vujević 3 Received: 29 January 2019 /Accepted: 27 May 2019 /Published online: 16 June 2019 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract The impact of a coal-fired Plomin Power Plant (PPP) in Croatia on PCB soil burden was examined by comparing the occurrence, levels, and profile of PCBs in soil from the PPP with the values determined in urban-industrialized soil (Varaždin, Croatia). Soil burden by organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were also investigated at both locations. Topsoil samples were collected at five distances (100–800 m) along a downwind pollution gradient from the PPP and across the city. The total content of PCBs in 100-m soil was nearly 20-fold the levels found in 800-m soil, which pointed to the PPP as a local source of soil contamination. The PPP soils were dominated by indicator PCB congeners, particularly hexa-homologs. A different profile and mass fraction range of PCBs in soils from PPP and Varaždin area indicated the different sources of contamination. Levels of total PCBs in PPP soils (0.25–19.07 μg kg -1 ) were higher than PCB levels determined in soils from Varaždin (0.29–5.52 μg kg -1 ), partially as a result of higher OC content in PPP soils. PPP soil burden by PCBs corresponded to a lower end of PCB level ranges reported for cities with high population and heavy industry. OCPs were detected at significantly higher levels in Varaždin soils than in PPP soils, with the highest contribution of the DDT-like compounds (DDX) detected in soils affected by river deposits. The p,p′-DDE/p,p′- DDT ratio in Varaždin soils indicated a fresh atmospheric input of p,p′-DDT. The PPP soil analysis detected a presence of only p,p ′-DDE and HCB at levels corresponding to their global environmental presence. Keywords Polychlorinated biphenyls . Organochlorine pesticides . Soil, coal-fired power plant . Urban-industrialized area Introduction The international monitoring of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in a large range of samples has been implemented since the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) UNECE (1998) and Stockholm Convention (2018) were adopted (UNECE 1998; Stockholm Convention 2018). PCBs are industrial chemicals, while OCPs were main- ly used as insecticides and fungicides. Although they enter the soil from different sources, these two groups of chemicals have similar physicochemical characteristics (high stability, hydrophobicity, and lipophilicity), therefore showing a similar environmental behavior and can be studied together by the same analytical procedure. Toxicological studies identified several shared targets of PCB and some OCP oral toxicity including the liver, immune system, and neurological and re- productive systems, but a limited data regarding their apparent synergism did not conclusively show whether their mode of joint toxic action was additive or not (ATSDR 2000). Although PCBs and OCPs have not been on the global market over the last three decades, these pollutants can still be frequently detected in almost all parts of the environment (Klánová et al. 2008; Klinčić et al. 2016). High levels of PCBs and OCPs in soil occur today as a consequence of their direct emission by uncontrolled landfill and waste incineration. Dinko Vujević is deceased. Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu * Sanja Stipičević stipicevic@imi.hr 1 Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10001 Zagreb, Croatia 2 Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 95, Zagreb, Croatia 3 Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, University of Zagreb, Hallerova aleja 7, Varaždin, Croatia Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2019) 26:23707–23716 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05605-0