Abstract
The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution in Taihu Lake Basin has caused widespread concern. However, the spatial temporal distribution of PAHs in the upstream rivers of Taihu Lake Basin remains largely unknown. Thus, this study aims to investigate the level, spatial distribution, sources, and environment risk caused by PAHs in upstream rivers of Taihu Lake Basin. The concentrations of total 16 PAHs (∑16PAHs) ranged from 188.64 to 1060.39 ng/g, with an average of 472.62 ng/g. High-molecular-weight (HMW) PAHs were the predominant compounds in most sample sites. The results of source analysis demonstrated that the PAH pollution was mainly sourced from mixture of combustion and direct petroleum spillage. The ecological risk assessment showed that moderate ecological risk caused by the PAH contaminants might occur in most sample sites. The incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCRs) ranged from 2.07 ×10-4 - 2.66 × 10-3 for children and 9.66 ×10-5 - 1.24 × 10-3 for adult, indicating moderate cancer risk of PAH-contaminated sediments.
Highlights
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in various environmental medium and primarily produced by petroleum spillage and incomplete combustion of organic materials(Ravindra et al 2008, Thompson et al 2017)
The ecological risk assessment showed that moderate ecological risk caused by the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contaminants might occur in most sample sites
The PAH concentration was similar with the studies conducted by Yuan Zhang(Zhang et al 2012) and Bingli Lei(Lei et al 2014), but showed a decrease than the level reported by Yuqiang Tao(Tao et al 2010).The concentrations of total 7 carcinogenic PAHs (Σ7PAHs) ranged from 58.13 to 504.76 ng/g, with an average of 192.04 ng/g, which account for 40.63% of the Σ16PAHs
Summary
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in various environmental medium and primarily produced by petroleum spillage and incomplete combustion of organic materials(Ravindra et al 2008, Thompson et al 2017). PAHs can enter the aquatic environments by atmospheric deposition, surface runoff, oil leakage, and waste water discharge(Hu et al 2017). Due to their low water solubility, high lipid solubility and high persistence, PAHs have the propensity to adhere to sediment of water bodies, which pose considerable threats to ecosystem and human health through the biomagnify in the food chain(Geffard et al 2003, Humans 2010, Ma et al 2018). This study aims to elucidate the level, spatial distribution, source and environment risk of PAHs in upstream rivers of Taihu Lake Basin. The results will help to further understand the characteristics and risk of PAHs, and provide a valuable reference data for PAHs management in the Taihu Lake Basin
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