Legacy and emerging contaminants in coastal surface sediments around Hainan Island in South China

Abstract

Emerging and legacy hydrophobic pollutants, including halogenated flame retardants (HFRs), organophosphorus FRs (OPFRs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in coastal sediments of Hainan Island, southern China, where little information is known about their contamination. The HFRs were dominated by decabrominated diphenyl ethers (median = 1.32 ng/g) and novel decabromodiphenyl ethane (1.87 ng/g). HFR and PAH concentrations had similar spatial distributions, with higher levels in the river and near the estuary. The concentrations of ∑10OPFRs ranged from 0.74 to 60.0 ng/g (median = 15.3 ng/g), displaying a different spatial distribution. ∑DDTs and β-HCH, with median concentrations of 1.41 and 3.44 ng/g respectively, were largely from historical inputs, but use of DDT still exists in Hainan. Principal component analysis revealed the associations between most of the pollutants (HFRs, OCPs, and PAHs) and perylene, indicating that terrestrial runoff plays a significant role in their presence in the coastal sediments. OPFRs had different emission sources or entry modes to the coastal ocean.