Abstract
We studied polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in crop soils amended with 1000 tonnes dry weight of sewage sludges per 10,000 m2 from 1974 to 1992, then after sludges addition from 1993 to 1999. The absence of variations of total PAHs levels of control soils, averaging at 123 μg/Kg, shows the absence of horizontal contamination. During sludges addition, the total PAHs levels in amended soils increased from 232 to 402 μg/Kg. Seven years after sludges addition, it decreased to 275 μg/Kg, which is still more than twice –the levels of control soils. This finding shows that sludges PAHs are preserved in crop soils for long periods of time, on a human scale.
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Acknowledgements
This work has been supported by the European Commission under the Fifth Framework Programme and contributes to the implementation of the key action “Sustainable Management and Quality of Water”, project Biowaste QLK5-CT-2002-01138, and the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique.
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Lichtfouse, E., Sappin-Didier, V., Denaix, L. et al. A 25-year record of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils amended with sewage sludges. Environ Chem Lett 3, 140–144 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-005-0010-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-005-0010-5