Abstract
This study systematically analyzed the distribution characteristics, sources, and ecological risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Kuye River sediments, located in an energy and chemical industry base in northern Shaanxi, China. The results that revealed the concentrations of 16 PAHs in the sediment ranged from 1090.04 to 32,175.68 ng∙g−1 dw, with the four-ring PAHs accounting for the highest proportion. Positive matrix factorization analysis (PMF) revealed the main sources of PAHs as incomplete fossil fuel combustion, biomass combustion, and traffic emissions. The total toxic equivalent concentration of BaP, risk quotient, and lifetime carcinogenic risk of PAHs suggested moderate to high contamination of PAHs in the area. The higher incremental lifetime carcinogenic risk (ILCR) indicated that PAH ingestion was the primary route of impact on public health, with children potentially being more susceptible to PAH exposure. This study can provide valuable theoretical support for implementing pollution prevention measures and ecological restoration strategies for rivers in energy and chemical industry areas.
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The authors express their gratitude to the reviewers of the manuscript for their valuable comments and suggestions during the review process.
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This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, China (Grant No. 51978559), the Key Research and Development Project of Shaanxi Province (Grant No. 2019ZDLSF05-06).
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JHL: Investigation, Visualization, Methodology, Validation, Supervision, Writing—review & editing. ANZ: Investigation, Visualization, Writing—review & editing. ZZY: Investigation, Writing—review & editing. CXW: Visualization, Investigation, Writing—review & editing. LY: Writing—review & editing. YJL: Funding acquisition, Methodology, Writing—review & editing.
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Liu, J., Zhang, A., Yang, Z. et al. Distribution characteristics, source analysis and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of Kuye River: a river in a typical energy and chemical industry zone. Environ Geochem Health 46, 89 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-023-01802-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-023-01802-6