Occurrence and profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in soils from a typical e-waste recycling area in Southeast China
Surface soils collected from Taizhou, a typical e-waste recycling area in Southeast China, were analyzed for the residues of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) by using microwave-assisted extraction and gas
chromatography -mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The total concentrations of 16 PAHs in US EPA's priority list (ΣPAHs), six indicator PCBs (ΣPCBs), 15 OCPs widely used in China (ΣOCPs) in soils ranged from 125 to 4737 ng/g (average: 854 ng/g), from not detected to 55.4 ng/g
(3.16 ng/g), and from 47.9 to 820 ng/g (276 ng/g), respectively. Individual PAHs were ubiquitously found in soil samples with detected ratio of 96% and their residual levels were comparable with those of serious polluted sites. Principal component analysis in combination with
diagnostic ratios suggested that the combustion of coal, wood, and plastic wastes that are closely associated with illegal and unsafe recycling operations of e-wastes was the main source of PAHs in this area. Compared with other polluted sites, the PCBs residues in soils were generally low
except for those in the major recycling site. The residual levels of OCPs in this region were also relatively higher and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolite forms including dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene
(DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and dicofol were dominant species. The composition analysis indicated that the HCHs residues in soils might originate from the application of lindane (pure γ-HCH) and parts of DDTs possibly from the wide use of dicofol with high impurity of DDT compounds
in this region.
Keywords: OCPs; PAHs; PCBs; e-waste; residue; soil
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of SciencesYantai,264003, China 2: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing,100085, China
Publication date: 01 August 2012
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