Distribution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments and biota from the Zha Long Wetland, China

Abstract

In this paper, the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in biota (reed, grass, mussel, fish, and red-crowned crane) and sediments collected from seven locations in the Zha Long Wetland. PAHs were recovered from the sediments and biota by ultrasonic extraction and then analyzed by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The total PAH concentrations were 244-713 ng/g dw in sediments, 82.8-415 ng/g dw in plants and 207-4,780 ng/g dw in animals. The total sediment PAH concentrations were categorized as lower to moderate contamination compared with other regions of China and the world. In the plant samples, the accumulation abilities of reed roots and stems for PAHs were higher than those of grass roots. In addition, the concentration of individual PAHs in mussel muscles was the highest in all of the animal samples, followed by fish, feeding crane fetuses, and wild crane fetuses. Compositional analysis suggests that the PAHs in the sediments from the Zha Long Wetland were derived from incomplete biomass combustion. Risk assessment shows that the levels of PAHs in sediments are mostly lower than the effects range mean value (effects range mean), whereas only naphthalene in all sample sites was higher than the effects range low value. It is worthwhile to note that benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene and benzo(ghi)perylene were detected in crane fetal, which have potential carcinogenicity for organisms from the Zha Long Wetland.

Historical record and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Lianhuan Lake sediments

“…The concentrations of 16 USEPA PAHs in north of Lianhuan Lake (297-1,327 ng g -1 ) were noticeably higher than those concentrations in the Zhalong Wetland (56.8-396 ng g -1 ) (Liu et al 2008). On the basis of PAHs analysis, grain size, organics, and the PAHs pollution history in north of Lianhuan Lake was discussed for the past more than 100 years, which was divided into three stages.…”

Characterization of Sediments for Sustainable Development: State of the Art

“…These pollutants can be either biodegradable or non-biodegradable in nature and are hence termed as xenobiotic compounds, existing mainly due to anthropogenic activities (Yang and Rose 2003;Tabrez and Ahmad 2010); they are usually present in higher concentrations than the permissible limits (NOAA 1999;USEPA 1998). Hydrophobic organic contaminants such as PAH and PCB have significant impacts on aquatic systems (Hahladakis et al 2013;Li et al 2013).The main sources of these organic contaminants in sediments are oil spills and incomplete combustion of domestic, industrial, and organic matter. Many analytical approaches, such as High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) or Capillary Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), have been employed in the recent past to quantify the presence of these toxic contaminants.…”

A dynamic multimedia fuzzy-stochastic integrated environmental risk assessment approach for contaminated sites management

“…In this study, the data used to validate the model reliability in soil and water was obtained from actual measurements of the samples collected in the study area [31]. No measured PAH data in air and sediment compartments were obtained from the relevant literature [32,33]. Comparisons between the measured concentrations and the modeled ones for 16 PAHs in the study are shown in Table 3.…”