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Pollution characteristics and potential health risk of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in soil/sediment from Baiyin City, North West, China

Environmental Geochemistry and Health volume 35, pages 593–604 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

In order to better understand the environmental behaviors of persistent organic pollutants, the characteristics of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were investigated in twenty-three soil/sediment samples from Baiying City, Northwest China, in 2008. The possible sources and potential health risk of PCDD/Fs were also discussed. The concentrations of PCDD/Fs in nineteen soil samples varied between 20.13 and 496.26 pg/g dry weight (dw.), with an average value of 125.59 pg/g dw. The highest International Toxic Equivalent (I-TEQ) of PCDD/Fs (8.34 pg/g dw.) in soil was found at sample S1 collected from proximity to a copper metallurgy plant. The concentrations of PCDD/Fs in four sediment samples ranged from 37.69 to 491.49 pg/g dw., with an average value of 169.95 pg/g dw. The highest I-TEQ of PCDD/Fs (8.56 pg/g dw.) in sediment was found at sample S12 collected from the East big ditch with waste water discharged into the Yellow River. The results indicated that PCDD/Fs contamination of soil/sediment is originated from three sources: chlorine-containing chemicals, non-ferrous metal industrial PCDD/Fs emission and coal burning. The health risk exposure to PCDD/Fs through soil, dust ingestion and dermal absorption ranged from 0.0006 to 0.0134 pg/kg/day Word Health Organization’s toxic equivalent in 1998 (WHO1998-TEQ) with mean values 0.0032 pg WHO1998-TEQ for adults and varied between 0.0012 and 0.0256 pg/kg/day WHO1998-TEQ with mean values 0.006 pg/kg/day WHO1998-TEQ for children, respectively. These results indicated that health risk of PCDD/Fs for children should be paid more attention.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Eleventh Five-Year Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2007BAC16BO8) and Environmental Public Welfare Program of China (2010009017).

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Affiliations

  1. Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Xibang Hu, Zhencheng Xu & Junneng Wang

  2. South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environment Protection, Guangzhou, 510655, China

    Xibang Hu, Zhencheng Xu, Xiaochun Peng, Mingzhong Ren, Sukun Zhang, Xiaoping Liu & Junneng Wang

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Xibang Hu, Zhencheng Xu & Junneng Wang

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  1. Xibang Hu
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  2. Zhencheng Xu
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Correspondence to Zhencheng Xu.

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Hu, X., Xu, Z., Peng, X. et al. Pollution characteristics and potential health risk of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in soil/sediment from Baiyin City, North West, China. Environ Geochem Health 35, 593–604 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-013-9542-y

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Keywords

  • PCDD/Fs
  • Pollution characteristics
  • Potential sources
  • Risk assessment
  • Soil/sediment