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PCDD/Fs in Air and Soil around an E-waste Dismantling Area with Open Burning of Insulated Wires in South China

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Abstract

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in ambient air and farmland soil sampled in 2006 around an e-waste dismantling area with open burning of insulated wires in Longtang in south China were investigated. The total toxic equivalent concentrations of PCDD/Fs were 3.2–31.7 pg/m3 in air and 5.8 12.4 ng/kg in farmland soil at an e-waste site and 0.063–0.091 pg/m3 in air at a background site. PCDD/Fs in the air at the e-waste site were characterized with dominant 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF and OCDF and higher concentrations of furans than dioxins, suggesting open burning of insulated wires was likely to be the main source of PCDD/Fs. Compared with the results in this study, the level of PCDD/F tended to lessen with the average TEQ concentration decreasing by 41 % and the pattern changed to be dominated by OCDD in the air of Longtang in 2010 when insulated wires were openly burned in only a small scale. Our results indicate that the lower chlorinated congeners with higher vapor pressures have enhanced atmospheric transport tendencies.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (Nos. 41373104 and 41073083), Guangdong Province Natural Sciences Foundation (No. S2012010008537). This is contribution No. IS-2036 from GIGCAS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    M. Ren, Y. H. Tang, P. A. Peng & Y. Cai

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  1. M. Ren
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  2. Y. H. Tang
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  3. P. A. Peng
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  4. Y. Cai
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Correspondence to M. Ren.

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Ren, M., Tang, Y.H., Peng, P.A. et al. PCDD/Fs in Air and Soil around an E-waste Dismantling Area with Open Burning of Insulated Wires in South China. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 94, 647–652 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-015-1514-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-015-1514-8

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