Occurrence, congener patterns, and potential ecological risk of chlorinated paraffins in sediments of Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent East China Sea.

Abstract

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are high production volume chemicals with immense scientific research interest due to their wide distribution, persistence, toxicity, and bioaccumulation potential. In this study, 87 surface sediments were collected from the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE) and the adjacent East China Sea (ECS). We investigated the concentrations, spatial distribution, and composition profiles of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid mass spectrometry. The sedimentary concentrations of SCCPs and MCCPs ranged from 2.85 to 94.7 ng·g-1 (median 13.7 ng·g-1) and 3.33 to 77.8 ng·g-1 (median 13.3 ng·g-1), respectively. Higher CP concentrations were found in YRE sediments. The values decreased away from the location, implying a direct influence of the Yangtze River. The SCCP concentrations were higher than those of MCCPs in most sediment samples. Overall, the predominant homologs were C13Cl5-7 and C14Cl6-8 for MCCPs and SCCPs, respectively. Overall, the sediment-dwelling organisms in the region are susceptible to low ecological risks.