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Temporal trends and risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls and heavy metals in a solid waste site in Taizhou, China

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Abstract

The solid wastes generated during the production of chemicals are important sources of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals. However, few studies have been conducted regarding long-term monitoring of the risks and states of PCBs and heavy metal pollution from these sources. Herein, we reported the concentrations and risks posed by these pollutants at a chemical solid waste storage site in Taizhou, China, based on data collected before (in 2006) and after clearing the solid waste (in 2013). We examined the concentrations of 24 PCBs, including ten dioxin-like-PCB (DL-PCB) congeners (PCB77, 105, 114, 118, 123, 126, 156, 167, 169, and 189). Our data showed that the mean ∑24PCB concentrations in the soil, water, and plant samples were 6902.90 ng/g, 1637.58 ng/L, and 33.95 ng/g, respectively, in 2013. Furthermore, Cr was the most prevalent contaminant. The hazard quotient (HQ) values showed that Pb posed the highest risk in the soil samples, followed by Hg. The results of the reporter gene assay showed that soil extracts from S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, and S9 exhibited potential estrogenic activities. A comparison of the data showed that the PCB pollution in some sites of this area was still serious. The data provided here are fundamentally useful for policy makers to regulate this type of storage site.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21307109, 21337005), the Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (KF2013-19), Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (LY14B070001), and Zhejiang Provincial Xinmiao Talent Plan (2015R403057).

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The authors report no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310032, China

    Quan Zhang, Jianqiang Zhu, Jingjia Ye, Yi Qian, Jinghua Wang & Meirong Zhao

  2. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China

    Fang Chen

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  1. Quan Zhang
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  2. Jianqiang Zhu
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  3. Jingjia Ye
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  4. Yi Qian
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  5. Fang Chen
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  6. Jinghua Wang
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  7. Meirong Zhao
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Correspondence to Quan Zhang.

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Responsible editor: Roland Kallenborn

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Zhang, Q., Zhu, J., Ye, J. et al. Temporal trends and risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls and heavy metals in a solid waste site in Taizhou, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 438–446 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5249-1

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