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Distribution, sources, and ecological risk assessment of HCHs and DDTs in water from a typical coal mining subsidence area in Huainan, China

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Abstract

Coal mining subsidence areas are a special and widespread ecosystem in China and many developing countries in the world. However, limited research has focused on HCHs and DDTs in coal mining subsidence areas. Investigating the concentration, distribution, and sources of HCHs and DDTs at the Yangzhuang coal mining subsidence area in Huainan, China, is the object of this study. Water samples from different depths were collected from this region to detect and analyze HCHs and DDTs using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The result showed that the concentrations of HCHs and DDTs increased with increasing water depth, and the average concentrations of HCHs and DDTs in the top (T-layer), middle (M-layer), and bottom (B-layer) layers were 152, 169, and 182 ng∙L−1, respectively. Spatial distribution of HCH and DDT concentrations in the study area revealed that the concentrations gradually decreased in the direction of water flow, and the highest concentration was observed at the entrance of the Nihe River. The T-layer was easily influenced by environmental and human activities, while the M-layer and B-layer were mainly influenced by sediment. Using principal component analysis and diagnostic ratios, we found that HCHs and DDTs in the study area mainly originated due to natural and human activities (such as pesticide use). Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were mainly derived from lindane, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) mainly originated due to the recent agricultural use of dicofol; both of these are directly related to agricultural activities. Based on a comparison of reported concentrations of HCHs and DDTs in the rivers and lakes throughout China, we found that the overall ecological risk of HCHs and DDTs in the study area was elevated. The results are important for further understanding the transfer characteristics of HCHs and DDTs as well as the ecological health of the water in coal mining subsidence areas.

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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We express our gratitude to Dr. Haitao Zhang at Anhui University of Science and Technology for his guidance.

Funding

This study was financially supported by the Youth Science Research Fund of Anhui University of Science and Technology (NO. QN201520) and the Research and Development Projects of Anhui (NO. 006223303009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China

    Xiaoqing Chen, Liangmin Gao, Youbiao Hu, Leilei Luan, Rongrong Tong, Jinxin Zhang & Hui Wang

  2. Jiangsu Design Institute of Geology for Mineral Resources, Jiangsu, China

    Xiaofang Zhou

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  1. Xiaoqing Chen
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  2. Liangmin Gao
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  3. Youbiao Hu
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  7. Hui Wang
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Contributions

Xiaoqing Chen: conceptualization, methodology, visualization, writing. Liangmin Gao: conceptualization, methodology, visualization. Youbiao Hu: methodology, visualization. Leilei Luan: methodology, data collection. Rongrong Tong: methodology, data collection. Jinxin Zhang: methodology, data collection. Hui Wang: methodology, data collection. Xiaofang Zhou: methodology, data collection.

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Correspondence to Liangmin Gao.

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Chen, X., Gao, L., Hu, Y. et al. Distribution, sources, and ecological risk assessment of HCHs and DDTs in water from a typical coal mining subsidence area in Huainan, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 59985–59995 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20087-3

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