Spatial diffusion and temporal evolution of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PAHs congener concentrations in the ambient air of Taranto: an analysis based on the duality diagram approach

Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds are byproducts of industrial processes, commonly regarded as highly toxic persistent organic pollutants. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons occur in oil, coal, and tar deposits and are produced as byproducts of fuel burning, coke-making, and metal smelting. We propose an analysis of the spatial diffusion and temporal evolution of 46 congeners, based on monthly concentration data for the period October 2008 - December 2010 at three monitoring stations. Given the high dimensionality of the data, a descriptive strategy was adopted based on the duality diagram approach, a unifying framework including classical multivariate statistical methods that has become a valuable tool for combining data collected from different sources and using different methods.