PCDD/PCDF pollution in soils and sediments from the Pearl River Delta of China

Sukun Zhang, Ping'an Peng, Weilin Huang, Xiaoming Li, Gan Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

51 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study reported detection of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) for 62 soil samples and 3 sediment samples collected from the Pearl River Delta, a rapidly industrialized and highly populated area of South China. The results show that the PCDD/F concentrations ranged from 97.6 to 9,600 ng kg-1 and that the average total concentrations of PCDD/Fs are 1311, 2504, 1320 and 2335 ng kg-1 (dw), and 1.24, 3.99, 4.80 and 2.63 ng WHO1998-TEQ kg-1 for the samples collected from remote mountains, suburban areas, industrial areas, and residential/commercial areas, respectively. The WHO1998-TEQ values calculated for 17 soil samples are higher than 4 ng kg-1 but lower than 20 ng kg-1, whereas the WHO1998-TEQ values calculated for the remaining 45 samples are lower than 4 ng kg-1. According to the Canada soil quality guideline, the PCDD/F concentrations in 27.4% of the tested soil samples in this study are greater than the Canadian background concentrations, and the PCDD/F concentrations for the remaining soil samples (73.6%) are lower than the Canadian background concentration.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1186-1195
Number of pages10
JournalChemosphere
Volume75
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2009

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • General Chemistry
  • Pollution
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Keywords

  • China
  • PCDD/Fs
  • Sediments
  • Soils
  • The Pearl River Delta

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