Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Tree bark as a biomonitor for the determination of polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers from Southern Jiangsu, China: levels, distribution, and possible sources

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Tree bark was used as the passive air sampler to evaluate polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) pollution and possible sources in Southern Jiangsu. The concentrations of PCBs and Σ7PBDEs were in the range of 0.58–5.19 ng/g dry weight (dw; mean 1.79 ng/g dw) and 17.9–243 pg/g dw (mean 74.7 pg/g dw), respectively. Tri-PCBs were the major PCB homologs, and technical PCB product Ar1242 was identified as the main source. BDE209 concentrations (4.29–456 ng/g dw) were relatively high, indicating that BDE209 pollution was serious in this region. The deca-BDE commercial mixture was the predominant commercial PBDE product used in this region. A good correlation was found between tree bark and polyurethane foam (PUF) disks in Σ6PCB monitoring, suggesting that both of them respond well to the gas-phase PCB monitoring.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alaee, M., Arias, P., Sjödin, A., & Bergman, A. (2003). An overview of commercially used brominated flame retardants, their applications, their use patterns in different countries/regions and possible modes of release. Environment International, 29, 683–689.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, S. J., Gao, X. J., Mai, B. X., Chen, Z. M., Luo, X. J., Sheng, G. Y., et al. (2006). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in surface sediments of the Yangtze River Delta: levels, distribution and potential hydrodynamic influence. Environmental Pollution, 144, 951–957.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guéguen, F., Stille, P., & Millet, M. (2011). Air quality assessment by tree bark biomonitoring in urban, industrial and rural environments of the Rhine Valley: PCDD/Fs, PCBs and trace metal evidence. Chemosphere, 85, 195–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han, W., Feng, J., Gu, Z., Wu, M., Sheng, G., & Fu, J. (2010). Polychlorinated biphenyls in the atmosphere of Taizhou, a major e-waste dismantling area in China. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 22, 589–597.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hermanson, M. H., & Hites, R. A. (1990). Polychlorinated biphenyls in tree bark. Environmental Science & Technology, 24, 666–671.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hites, R. A. (2004). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the environment and in people: a meta-analysis of concentrations. Environmental Science & Technology, 38, 945–956.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, J., Jin, J., Wang, Y., Ma, Z., & Zheng, W. (2011). Levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane in the atmosphere and tree bark from Beijing, China. Chemosphere, 84(3), 355–360.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, K., Li, L., Chen, Y., & Jin, J. (1997). Determination of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in Chinese commercial PCBs and emissions from a testing PCB incinerator. Chemosphere, 34, 941–950.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, Q. L., Zhou, H. Y., Xu, D. D., Cai, Z. F., & Li, Y. F. (2007). Characteristics of PCB congeners and homologs in Chinese transformer oil. China Environmetal Science, 18, 608–612. in Chinese.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, J., Shi, S., & Chen, T. (2010a). Occurrence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in fish and shellfish downstream from electronic-waste recycling plants. Journal of Environmental Sciences (China), 22, 723–730.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, Y., Wang, X., Zhu, K., Wu, M., Sheng, G., & Fu, J. (2010b). Occurrence, compositional profiles and possible sources of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in urban soils of Shanghai, China. Chemosphere, 80, 131–136.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jin, J., Liu, W. Z., Wang, Y., & Tang, X. Y. (2008). Levels and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in plant, shellfish and sediment samples from Laizhou Bay in China. Chemosphere, 71, 1043–1050.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, K. S., Hirai, Y., Kato, M., Urano, K., & Masunaga, S. (2004). Detailed PCB congener patterns in incinerator flue gas and commercial PCB formulations (Kanechlor). Chemosphere, 55, 539–553.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • La Guardia, M. J., Hale, R. C., & Harvey, E. (2006). Detailed polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congener composition of the widely used penta-, octa-, and deca-PBDE technical flame-retardant mixtures. Environmental Science & Technology, 40, 6247–6254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, X., Li, Y., Zhang, Q., Wang, P., Yang, H., Jiang, G., et al. (2011). Evaluation of atmospheric sources of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs around a steel industrial complex in northeast China using passive air samplers. Chemosphere, 84, 957–963.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, J., Qiu, X., Zhang, J., Duan, X., & Zhu, T. (2012). State of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in China: an overview. Chemosphere, 88, 769–778.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu, X., & Hites, R. A. (2008). Dechlorane plus and other flame retardants in tree Bark from the. northeastern United States. Environmental Science & Technology, 42, 31–36.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu, X., Zhu, T., Li, J., Pan, H., Li, Q., Miao, G., et al. (2004). Organochlorine pesticides in the air around the Taihu Lake, China. Environmental Science & Technology, 38, 1368–1374.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu, X., Zhu, T., & Hu, J. (2010). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and other flame retardants in the atmosphere and water from Taihu Lake, East China. Chemosphere, 80, 1207–1212.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ren, N., Que, M., Li, Y. F., Liu, Y., Wan, X., Xu, D., et al. (2007). Polychlorinated biphenyls in Chinese surface soils. Environmental Science & Technology, 41, 3871–3876.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salamova, A., & Hites, R. A. (2010). Evaluation of tree bark as a passive atmospheric sampler for flame retardants, PCBs, and organochlorine pesticides. Environmental Science & Technology, 44, 6196–6201.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salamova, A., & Hites, R. A. (2013). Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants in tree bark from around the globe. Environmental Science & Technology, 47, 349–354.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tarcau, D., Cucu-Man, S., Boruvkova, J., Klanova, J., & Covaci, A. (2013). Organochlorine pesticides in soil, moss and tree-bark from North-Eastern Romania. Science of the Total Environment, 456–457, 317–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wen, S., Yang, F., Li, J. G., Gong, Y., Zhang, X. L., Hui, Y., et al. (2009). Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) monitored by tree bark in an E-waste recycling area. Chemosphere, 74, 981–987.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • WHO (1994). Environmental health criteria 162: brominated diphenyl ethers. ISBN 92-4-157162-4.

  • Zhang, Z., Liu, L., Li, Y. F., Wang, D., Jia, H., Harner, T., et al. (2008). Analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls in concurrently sampled Chinese air and surface soil. Environmental Science & Technology, 42, 6514–6518.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, H., Zhao, X., Ni, Y., Lu, X., Chen, J., Su, F., et al. (2010). PCDD/Fs and PCBs in sediments of the Liaohe River, China: levels, distribution, and possible sources. Chemosphere, 79, 754–762.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, L., Zhang, T., Dong, L., Shi, S., Zhou, L., & Huang, Y. (2013a). Assessment of halogenated POPs and PAHs in three cities in the Yangtze River Delta using high-volume samplers. Science of the Total Environment, 454–455, 619–626.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, L., Dong, L., Yang, W., Zhou, L., Shi, S., Zhang, X., et al. (2013b). Passive air sampling of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in the Yangtze River Delta, China: concentrations, distributions, and cancer risk assessment. Environmental Pollution, 181, 159–166.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, Y., Yang, L., & Wang, Q. (2008). Modeling persistent organic pollutant (POP) partitioning between tree bark and air and its application to spatial monitoring of atmospheric POPs in mainland China. Environmental Science & Technology, 42, 6046–6051.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, X., Zhang, H., Ni, Y., Lu, X., Zhang, X., Su, F., et al. (2011). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in sediments of the Daliao River Estuary, China: levels, distribution and their influencing factors. Chemosphere, 82, 1262–1267.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, L., Dong, L., Huang, Y. R., Shi, S. X., Zhang, L. F., Zhang, X. L., et al. (2014). Spatial distribution and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) tree bark from Southern Jiangsu, China. Chemosphere, 107, 297–303.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, L., & Hites, R. A. (2006). Brominated flame retardants in tree bark from North America. Environmental Science & Technology, 40, 3711–3716.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2009CB421602) and the Commonweal Program of Environment Protection Department of China (No. 201309030).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Dioxin Pollution Control, National Research Center for Environmental Analysis and Measurement, No. 1 Yuhuinanlu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China

    Li Zhou, Liang Dong, Ye-Ru Huang, Shuang-Xin Shi, Li-Fei Zhang, Xiu-Lan Zhang & Wen-Long Yang

Authors
  1. Li Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Liang Dong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ye-Ru Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Shuang-Xin Shi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Li-Fei Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Xiu-Lan Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Wen-Long Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Li Zhou.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Fig. S1

Map of the sampling sites in the Southern Jiangsu. (DOC 209 kb)

Fig. S2

Distribution of Σ7PCBind and Σ32PCBs (ng/g dw) in camphor tree bark from Southern Jiangsu (DOC 33 kb)

Fig. S3

Distribution of Σ7PBDEs (pg/g dw) and BDE209 (ng/g dw) in camphor tree bark from Southern Jiangsu (DOC 30 kb)

Table S1

Detailed information about tree bark samples (DOC 74 kb)

Table S2

Summary of PCBs concentrations in camphor tree bark from Southern Jiangsu (pg/g dw) (DOC 40 kb)

Table S3

Comparison of PCBs concentrations in tree bark of different regions (ng/g dw) (DOC 33 kb)

Table S4

Summary of PBDEs concentrations in camphor tree bark from Southern Jiangsu (pg/g dw) (DOC 36 kb)

Table S5

Comparison of PBDEs concentrations in tree bark of different regions (ng/g dw) (DOC 37 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhou, L., Dong, L., Huang, YR. et al. Tree bark as a biomonitor for the determination of polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers from Southern Jiangsu, China: levels, distribution, and possible sources. Environ Monit Assess 187, 603 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4789-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4789-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation