Distribution, source, and risk of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in urban and rural soils around the Yellow and Bohai Seas, China

Abstract

Between 1945 and 1983, China was the world's largest producer of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and the second largest producer of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs). The provinces of Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, and Jiangsu around the Yellow and Bohai Seas have a long history of production and usage of OCPs and PCBs. To investigate their residual concentration, distribution, risk level, and temporal degradation, 7 OCPs and 7 indicator PCBs were determined in surface soils collected around the Yellow and Bohai Seas. Residues of the 7 OCPs and 7 PCBs were in the range of 5.89–179.96 ng g−1 dry weight (dw) and non-detectable (ND)–385.67 ng g−1 dw, respectively. Tianjin and Hebei provinces recorded the highest concentrations of OCPs and PCBs, respectively. Moreover, OCPs residues had a significant relationship with agriculture and orchard land-use types, whereas PCBs residues occurred more in wasteland. Lifetime carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of OCPs and PCBs through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact indicated that OCPs and PCBs residues in surface soils are at a low risk level.