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Distribution, transfer, and health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil-wheat systems of Henan Province, a typical agriculture province of China

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Abstract

In order to investigate the distribution, transfer, and human health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil-wheat systems, soil samples from 20 farmlands and corresponding wheat tissues were collected from selected regions of Henan Province in June 2013 and were analyzed to estimate the concentration of PAHs. The total concentrations of 15 PAHs (∑15 PAHs) in soils from Henan Province varied from 6.91 to 72.4 ng/g. Moreover, two-ring to three-ring PAHs (1.59–29.1 ng/g) were the major species in soils, occupying 56.2% of total PAHs. Principal component analysis (PCA)-multiple linear regression (MLR) revealed that fossil fuel burning dominated the input of PAHs in agricultural soils of Henan Province. The range of ∑15 PAHs concentrations in wheat tissues was 13.9–50.9 ng/g, which decreased along the root-straw-grain. Positive correlation among PAHs of soil and wheat tissues showed that PAHs in wheat mainly came from soil and then migrated along root-straw-grain. Moreover, PAHs were accumulated highest in root and lowest in grain. Two-ring to three-ring PAHs were easier to transfer from soil to wheat than five-ring to six-ring PAHs. Consumption of wheat grain created potential risk of cancer in Henan Province.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported jointly by Science and Technology Project of Circular Agriculture (2012BAD14B08-7) and Program for Science and Technology Innovation Talents in Universities of Henan Province (14HASTIT049).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment, Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, Henan, People’s Republic of China

    Jinglan Feng, Jiahui Zhao & Jianhui Sun

  2. College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaoying Li

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  1. Jinglan Feng
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  2. Xiaoying Li
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Correspondence to Jinglan Feng or Jianhui Sun.

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Feng, J., Li, X., Zhao, J. et al. Distribution, transfer, and health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil-wheat systems of Henan Province, a typical agriculture province of China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 18195–18203 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9473-8

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