Identification, Quantification, and Toxicity of PCDDs and PCDFs in Soils from Industrial Areas in the Central and Eastern Regions of Saudi Arabia

  • Mohammad I. Al-Wabel
  • Mohamed H. El-Saeid
  • Adel R. A. Usman
  • Ali M. Al-Turki
  • Mahtab Ahmad
  • Ashraf S. Hassanin
  • Ahmed H. El-Naggar
  • Khaled K. H. Alenazi
Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

This study was conducted to identify and quantify polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in soil samples collected from selected industrial areas in the central and eastern regions of Saudi Arabia. All the investigated compounds of PCDDs/PCDFs were identified in the studied locations. The average concentrations of PCDDs (sum of seven congeners measured) ranged from 11.5 to 59.6 pg g−1, with a maximum concentration of 125.7 pg g−1 at an oil refinery station followed by 100.9 pg g−1 at a cement factory. The average concentrations of PCDFs (sum of 10 congeners measured) accounted for 11.68–19.35 pg g−1, with a maximum concentration of 38.67 pg g−1 at the cement factory. It was generally observed that the soil samples collected from industrial areas have substantially high toxicity equivalence (TEQ) values of PCDDs/PCDFs compared to soils of remote areas. Principal component analysis revealed that the cement factories and oil refineries were the primary sources of PCDDs and PCDFs.

Keywords

POPs Dioxins GCMS-TOF Toxicity equivalent Environmental assessment 

Notes

Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the National Plan of Science and Technology (NPST) of Saudi Arabia (Project No. 11-ENV-1590-2), King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.

References

  1. Eckhardt S, Breivik K, Manø S, Stohl A (2007) Record high peaks in PCB concentrations in the Arctic atmosphere due to long-range transport of biomass burning emissions. Atmos Chem Phys 7:4527–4536CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Halse Karine A, Eckhardt S, Schlabach M, Stohl A, Knut Breivik K (2013) Forecasting long-range atmospheric transport episodes of polychlorinated biphenyls using FLEXPART. Atmos Environ 71:335–339CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Im S, Kannan K, Giesy J, Matsuda M, Wakimoto K (2002) Concentrations and profiles of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in soils from Korea. Environ Toxicol Chem 21:245–252CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Jiao W, Wang T, Lu Y, Chang A, Chen W (2013) Multi-factors influencing the spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils surrounding drinking water protection zone. J Environ Sci 25:1643–1648CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Karstensen KH (2008) Formation, release and control of dioxins in cement kilns. Chemosphere 70:543–560CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Kiguchi O, Kobayashi T, Wada Y, Saitoh K, Ogawa N (2007) Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in paddy soils and river sediments in Akita, Japan. Chemosphere 67:557–573CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Kim BH, Lee SJ, Mun SJ, Chang YS (2005) A case study of dioxin monitoring in and around an industrial waste incinerator in Korea. Chemosphere 58:1589–1599CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Lai TJ, Liu XC, Leon YL, Guo NW, Yu ML, Hsu CC, Rogan WJ (2002) A cohort study of behavioral problems and intelligence in children with high prenatal polychlorinated biphenyl exposure. Arch Gen Psychiatry 59:1061–1066CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. MŽP ČR (1996) Metodický pokyn MŽP. Věstník MŽP 3/1996. PrahaGoogle Scholar
  10. Nadal M, Schuhmacher M, Domingo JL (2007) Levels of metals, PCBs, PCNs and PAHs in soils of a highly industrialized chemical/petrochemical area: temporal trend. Chemosphere 66:267–276CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Naile JE, Khim JS, Wang T, Wan Y, Luo W, Hu W, Jiao W, Park J, Ryu J, Hong S, Jones PD, Lu Y, Giesy JP (2011) Sources and distribution of polychlorinated-dibenzo-p-dioxins and -dibenzofurans in soil and sediment from the Yellow Sea region of China and Korea. Environ Pollut 159:907–917CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Oh JE, Choi SD, Lee SJ, Chang YS (2006) Influence of a municipal solid waste incinerator on ambient air and soil PCDD/Fs levels. Chemosphere 64:579–587CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Sakai M, Seike N, Kobayashi J, Kajihara H, Takahashi Y (2008) Mass balance and long-term fate of PCDD/Fs in a lagoon sediment and paddy soil, Niigata, Japan. Environ Pollut 156:760–768CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Sarkar SK, Bhattacharya BD, Bhattacharya A, Chatterjee M, Alam A, Satpathy KK, Jonathan MP (2008) Occurrence, distribution and possible sources of organochlorine pesticide residues in tropical coastal environment of India: an overview. Environ Int 34:1062–1071CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Schuhmacher M, Bocio A, Agramunt MC, Domingo JL, de Kok HAM (2002) PCDD/F and metal concentrations in soil and herbage samples collected in the vicinity of a cement plant. Chemosphere 48:209–217CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Thompson TS, Clement RE, Thornton N, Luyt J (1990) Formation and emission of PCDDs/PCDFs in the petroleum refining industry. Chemosphere 20:1525–1532CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. USEPA (2007) Environmental concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in UK soil and herbage, UK SHS Report No. 10. Bristol: Environment AgencyGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  • Mohammad I. Al-Wabel
    • 1
  • Mohamed H. El-Saeid
    • 1
  • Adel R. A. Usman
    • 1
    • 2
  • Ali M. Al-Turki
    • 1
  • Mahtab Ahmad
    • 1
  • Ashraf S. Hassanin
    • 1
  • Ahmed H. El-Naggar
    • 1
    • 3
  • Khaled K. H. Alenazi
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Soil Sciences, College of Food and Agricultural SciencesKing Saud UniversityRiyadhSaudi Arabia
  2. 2.Department of Soils and Water, Faculty of AgricultureAssiut UniversityAssiutEgypt
  3. 3.Department of Soil Science, Faculty of AgricultureAin Shams UniversityCairoEgypt

Personalised recommendations