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Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Topsoils Along the Taipu River Banks in the Yangtze River Delta, China: Occurrence, Source and Risk Assessment

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Abstract

Taipu River is an important transboundary river and drinking water source in the Yangtze River Delta, China. This study collected 15 topsoil samples along the Taipu River banks and subsequently determined the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations, sources, and ecological and health risks. The sum of toxic 15 PAHs concentrations ranged from 83.13 to 28342.53 ng/g, with a mean of 2828.69 ng/g. High molecular weight (HMW) PAHs were the dominant components and Indene (1,2,3, -cd) benzopyrene (InP) accounted for the highest proportion in individuals. The average PAH concentration in residential land was the highest, followed by those in industrial and agricultural land. The PAH concentration was positively related to contents of total carbon, total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and aminopeptidase activity in soils. The mixed combustion of biomass, coal, and petroleum and traffic emissions could be the primary PAH contributors. The total PAHs at over half of sampling points had relatively high risk quotients and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values, posing potential or great ecological threats and health risks.

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Funding

This study was financially supported by the Shanghai Municipal Natural Science Foundation, China (No. 21ZR1446800), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41877425, 42077358, 41971257), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 226-2022-00084) and the Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration (No. SHUES2022A04).

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Author notes

  1. Zhibo Zhang and Yangrongchang Xia have contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 200234, China

    Zhibo Zhang, Yangrongchang Xia, Liang Meng & Lishan Xiao

  2. Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Zhejiang University, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Liang Meng

  3. The Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China

    Liang Meng & Ying Zhang

  4. Yangtze River Delta Urban Wetland Ecosystem National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, Shanghai, 201722, China

    Zhibo Zhang, Yangrongchang Xia, Liang Meng & Lishan Xiao

  5. School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai, 201418, China

    Jing Ye

  6. School of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024, China

    Fenghua Wang

  7. School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Huan Deng

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Correspondence to Liang Meng.

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Zhang, Z., Xia, Y., Meng, L. et al. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Topsoils Along the Taipu River Banks in the Yangtze River Delta, China: Occurrence, Source and Risk Assessment. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 111, 9 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-023-03751-3

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