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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in urban soils representing different land use categories in Shanghai

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Abstract

An extensive soil survey was carried out in Shanghai to investigate the spatial distribution and possible sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban soils. Soil samples were collected from highways, iron-smelting plants, steel-smelting plants, shipbuilding yards, coking plants, power plants, chemical plants, urban parks, university campuses and residential areas and were analyzed for 16 PAHs by gas chromatography with mass detection. High PAH concentrations were found in all locations investigated, with mean values of soil total PAH concentrations in the range 3,279–38,868 μg/kg DM, and the PAH concentrations were significantly influenced by soil organic matter content. Soil PAH profiles in all districts were dominated by PAHs with 4–6 rings. Principal components analysis and diagnostic ratios of PAHs indicate that they were mainly derived from coal combustion and petroleum but in soils from highways the PAHs were derived largely from vehicle exhaust emissions. The high concentrations of PAHs found indicate that many urban soils in Shanghai represent a potential hazard to public health.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the special program of Greening Administration Bureau (Project ZXD50205), and Soil Remediation Appropriation Fund (2008-006) of Shanghai Construction and Communications Commission for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Institute of Landscape Gardening, Shanghai, 200232, China

    Jing Liang & Hailan Fang

  2. College of Resources and Environment Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Guangjun Ma

  3. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Ling Chen

  4. Agri-Environment Branch, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT9 5PX, UK

    Peter Christie

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  1. Jing Liang
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  2. Guangjun Ma
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  3. Hailan Fang
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  4. Ling Chen
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  5. Peter Christie
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Correspondence to Hailan Fang.

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Liang, J., Ma, G., Fang, H. et al. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in urban soils representing different land use categories in Shanghai. Environ Earth Sci 62, 33–42 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-010-0493-7

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