Abstract
The Haihe River is the most seriously polluted river among the seven largest rivers in China. Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), and PCBs (noncoplanar polychlorinated biphenyls) in the Haihe River, Tianjin were determined using a gas chromatograph – electron capture detector (GC-ECD). Dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) were determined using Chemically Activated LUciferase gene eXpression (CALUX) bioassay. HCH and DDT levels were, respectively, 0.06–6.07 μg/L and ND (not detected) to 1.21 μg/L; PCB levels ranged from 0.12 to 5.29 μg/L; and the total DLCs in sediment were 4.78–343 pg TEQ (toxic equivalency)/g. Aquatic ecological risk assessment was performed using the joint probability curve method and the Monte Carlo-based HQ (hazard quotient) distribution method. The combined risks of similar chemicals and the total risk of dissimilar categories of chemicals were assessed based on the principles of joint toxicity. Due to the adjacent industrial activities, the risk levels of PCBs, DDTs, and HCHs were relatively high. The risk order was as follows: PCBs > DDTs ≈ HCHs > DLCs. The risk of HCHs approximated that of DDTs, which is different from the fact that risk of HCHs is usually much lower in the other Chinese rivers. The total risk caused by these pollutants was very high. Due to their high persistence and potential source from land, the high risks of such pollutants are likely to last for a long period of time.
Highlights
China, as one of the countries with the largest agricultural production system, was once a major producer and consumer of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs)[1]
This study aims to use probabilistic options to refine the aquatic ecological risk assessment (ERA) of various persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Haihe River, China
HCH levels were generally higher than DDT levels
Summary
As one of the countries with the largest agricultural production system, was once a major producer and consumer of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs)[1]. From the 1950s to 1980s, the production of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) in China was 0.4 and 4.9 million tons, accounting for 20 and 33% of the total global production, respectively[2]. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are another important category of legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), whose production in China from 1965 to 1974 was about 10,000 tons[3]. TheScientificWorldJOURNAL (2010) 10, 1307–1317 produced legacy POPs, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), have been poorly characterized in the environmental matrices in China due to limited instrumentation and trained personnel[4]. Activated LUciferase gene eXpression (CALUX) bioassay has been used to determine the PCDD/F pollution in China[6,7]. Compared with the high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) method, CALUX is a faster and cheaper method that can provide a comprehensive measure of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity and potential hazard[8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
