Polychlorinated biphenyl congener data of surficial sediment from Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, Indiana, USA

Here, we report the results of the first intensive survey of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the surficial sediment of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) in East Chicago, Indiana, a part of the Calumet River tributary of Lake Michigan (2006). PCB congeners were measured using tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) in multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM), a method that provides a high-level selectivity and sensitivity for PCBs in complex environmental samples. The PCB concentrations (sum of 163 congeners or coeluting peaks) range from 53 to 35,000 ng/g dry weight (d.w.). The PCB congener signal strongly resembles the original technical mixture Aroclor 1248 that has experienced a small amount of weathering — less than 2.5% by mass for the statistically different congeners. Further, total organic carbon (TOC) is also reported.