Abstract
To investigate the concentrations, spatial distribution, potential sources and mass fluxes of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in waters from the Danshui River Basin, a total of 20 water samples were collected and analyzed from a karstic river in Western Hubei of Central China. The average concentrations of total OCPs and PAHs in the river water were 4719 pg·L−1 and 26.2 ng·L−1, respectively. The characteristic ratios of different isomers and the composition analysis of individual OCPs and PAHs revealed that HCHs originated from a mixed input of technical HCHs and Lindane, DDTs were mainly from technical DDTs, and PAHs mainly originated from biomass and coal combustion. The mass flux analysis showed that PAHs had a higher emission and heavier burden than OCPs in the Danshui River Basin. OCPs and PAHs emitted from agricultural or other human activities could enter the groundwater and then be transported to the surface/river water in the karst area. The adsorption of OCPs and PAHs by particles and the sedimentation of particles could be the primary processes to intercept these pollutants in the water of the karstic river system.
Highlights
Introduction iationsOrganochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are two typical groups of persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
The Danshui River Basin is located in Changyang County, Yichang City, West of
The pollutants from the agricultural activities could be delivered with the water flow from surface soil to groundwater and to surface river water
Summary
Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are two typical groups of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). They have been widely studied due to their unique properties [1,2,3,4], such as persistence, long-range transport, toxicity and bioaccumulation. OCPs and PAHs present considerable mobility, and their occurrences have been widely reported on many regional occasions and even on the global scale over the past decades [2,5,6,7,8,9] Due to their toxicity and long-term persistence in the environment, they threaten human health and ecological safety significantly [10]. Due to its unique geological structure, the surface of the karst system
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