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Status, distribution, source, and risk of polychlorinated biphenyl levels in soils of five cities from the Hexi Corridor, Northwest China

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Abstract

Few studies have been performed on the persistent organic pollutant contamination in soil from the plateau and remote areas, particularly the mid-latitude arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China. The occurrence, spatial distribution, source, and potential risk of 12 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were investigated in soil collected from five Hexi Corridor cities in Northwest China. All of the PCBs were detected individually in the soil samples. The concentration of Σ12PCBs in the Hexi Corridor ranged from 2.0 to 148.5 ng/g, with an average of 21.3 ng/g. The tetra-CBs and hexa-CBs were the dominant PCB components in the soil. Higher PCB levels were found in the industrial city of Jiuquan, and the fewest PCBs were detected at Jinchang. Source analysis by principal component analysis showed that the dominant sources of PCBs were automobile exhaust, paint additives, insulation materials, and other industrial products. The carcinogenic health risk of PCBs in the Hexi Corridor soil was within acceptable levels, but the exposure risk of PCBs in soil for children was higher than that for adults.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21966020) and the Gansu Province Science and Technology Support Program (No. 20JR5RA392).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Zhanrong Jia, Longmiao Yuan, Yufeng Jiang, Rui He & Wenxuan Ding

  2. Key Laboratory of Yellow River Water Environment in Gansu Province, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Zhanrong Jia & Yufeng Jiang

  3. Oil and Gas Research Center, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Longmiao Yuan

Authors
  1. Zhanrong Jia
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  2. Longmiao Yuan
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  4. Rui He
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  5. Wenxuan Ding
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Contributions

Zhanrong Jia performed the data analyses and wrote the original manuscript; Longmiao Yuan performed the PCB analytical method establishment and instrument analysis; Yufeng Jiang contributed to the manuscript revising and funding acquisition; Rui He helped perform the soil sampling and preparation; Wenxuan Ding helped perform the analysis with constructive discussions.

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Correspondence to Yufeng Jiang.

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Jia, Z., Yuan, L., Jiang, Y. et al. Status, distribution, source, and risk of polychlorinated biphenyl levels in soils of five cities from the Hexi Corridor, Northwest China. Environ Monit Assess 195, 282 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10891-2

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