Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations, compositions, sources, and associated carcinogenic risks to humans in farmland soils and riverine sediments from Guiyu, China
Pengjun Xu , Bu Tao , Zhiqiang Ye
,
Hu Zhao
,
Yue Ren
,
Ting Zhang
,
Yeru Huang
,
Jiping Chen
DOI:10.1016/j.jes.2015.11.035
Received August 27, 2015,Revised November 11, 2015, Accepted November 13, 2015, Available online April 03, 2016
Volume 28,2016,Pages 102-111
The concentrations of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in 23 farmland soil samples and 10 riverine sediment samples from Guiyu, China, and the carcinogenic risks associated with PAHs in the samples were evaluated. Guiyu is the largest electronic waste (EW) dismantling area globally, and has been well known for the primitive and crude manner in which EWs are disposed, such as by open burning and roasting. The total PAH concentrations were 56–567 ng/g in the soils and 181–3034 ng/g in the sediments. The Shanglian and Huamei districts were found to be more contaminated with PAHs than the north of Guiyu. The soils were relatively weakly contaminated but the sediments were more contaminated, and sediments in some river sections might cause carcinogenic risks to the groundwater system. The PAHs in the soils were derived from combustion sources, but the PAHs in the sediments were derived from both combustion and petroleum sources.
