Occurrence Of Semi-volatile Organic Compounds Research Articles

Spatial and seasonal occurrence of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in fish influenced by snowmelt and municipal effluent discharge

In the present study we examined spatial and seasonal trends in the levels of a wide suite of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in brown trout (Salmo trutta) and mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdii) in East Canyon Creek, Utah, USA, an effluent-dominated stream during summer months. Fish samples were collected from four sampling sites, including one reference site upstream, and three sites at incremental distances downstream of the effluent discharge over multiple seasons. The samples were analyzed for 218 lipophilic contaminants, including pesticides and their metabolites, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and other flame retardants. Some PAHs, pesticides and their metabolites, PCBs, PBDEs and other flame retardants were measured in mottled sculpin (11 analytes) and brown trout (17 analytes). Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), p,p′-DDE, BDE-47 and triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) were the most frequently detected contaminants in mottled sculpin and brown trout, while BDE-47 and p,p′-DDE were measured at the highest concentrations, reaching up to 73 and 19 ng/g wet weight, respectively. Our results indicated that snowmelt did not alter accumulation of the examined lipophilic contaminants, and no consistent seasonal differences were observed in their accumulation. A spatial pattern was observed for PBDE congeners, where lowest levels were measured in fish tissues from a reference site, and highest concentrations were measured in fish collected downstream of the effluent discharge, indicating that municipal effluent discharge contributes to the elevated PBDE levels in fish residing in this effluent-dominated stream. We further calculated screening level consumption risks following United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods, and identified the importance of considering discharge gradients in effluent-dominated systems during bioaccumulation assessments.

Lichen, moss and soil in resolving the occurrence of semi-volatile organic compounds on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, China

This study investigated a wide range of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), including 28 persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), 18 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 13 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and 3 hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) congeners in lichen, moss and soil collected from the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, China. This allows research provides insight into elevation gradient distributions and possible cold trapping effects of SVOCs in this high mountain area, and compares lichens and mosses as air passive samplers for indicating SVOC occurrences. DDTs, endosulfans, HCHs and hexachlorobenzene predominated in all of the samples. Source analysis indicted that there were fresh inputs of DDTs and HCHs in the sampling region. Lichens and mosses shared commonalities in revealing the profiles and levels of SVOCs based on their lipid-content-normalized concentrations. The concentrations of 12 OCPs and 14 PCBs in lichens were significantly linearly correlated with altitudes, whereas the correlations for mosses and soil with altitudes were insignificant. Both a frequency distribution diagram and the Mountain Contamination Potential Model indicated that SVOCs with specific values of log KOA (8–11) and log KWA (2–4) had relative high mountain contamination potential on the Tibetan Plateau.

Occurrence of priority organic pollutants in the fertilizers, China

The use of large quantities of chemical fertilizers is usually associated with environmental problems. A lot of work has been done on the concentrations of heavy metals and radionuclides in chemical fertilizers, but little work has focused on the occurrence of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). In this study the occurrence of 43 SVOCs listed as priority pollutants in 22 widely used-fertilizers of China was determined by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Twenty-six SVOCs were detected with different detection frequencies and concentrations. The most abundant compounds were phthalic acid esters (PAEs; ranging from 1.17 to 2795 μg kg −1 dry weight, d.w.) and nitroaromatics (up to 9765 μg kg −1 d.w.), followed by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; <140 μg kg −1 d.w.) and halogenated hydrocarbons (<900 μg kg −1 d.w.). Chlorobenzenes and haloethers occurred generally at low concentrations. There are large variations in concentrations of various compounds in different fertilizers, and the total concentrations of each class of contaminants varied widely, too. The highest levels of sum concentration for 16 PAHs, for 6 PAEs and for nitroaromatics were found in organic fertilizer containing pesticide and soil amendments. Concentrations of SVOCs in coated fertilizers (the controlled release fertilizer with coating) were considerably higher than those in the corresponding fertilizers without coating. The occurrence frequencies of SVOCs in the straight fertilizers (containing only one of the major plant nutrients) were lower than in the other fertilizers.

Occurrence of organic contaminants in sewage sludges from eleven wastewater treatment plants, China

This study presents the occurrence of 43 semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) listed as priority pollutants by both China and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in sewage sludges collected from eleven wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of mainland and Hong Kong, China. Thirty-six SVOCs were detected by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and at least 14 in each sample. The most abundant compounds were phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with total concentrations ranging from 10 to 114mgkg(-1) dry weight (d.w.) (with a mean of 30mgkg(-1) d.w.) and from 1.4 to 33mgkg(-1)d.w. (with a mean of 16mgkg(-1) d.w.), respectively, followed by chlorobenzenes, nitroaromatics, haloethers and halogenated hydrocarbons which occurred generally at concentrations lower than 10mgkg(-1) d.w. Large variations were observed between the concentrations of individual compounds as well as their total concentrations in sludge samples from different WWTPs. The highest values of sum concentration of 16 PAHs and of 6 PAEs were found in sewage sludge from Beijing. The mean total concentration of each class of SVOCs in sewage sludge from mainland was remarkably higher than that from Hong Kong. The concentrations of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in 91% sludge samples met the limit (100mgkg(-1)d.w.) proposed by the Europe Union for land application, whereas the PAH concentrations of 64% sludge samples exceeded the maximum permissible concentration (6.0mgkg(-1)d.w.). The occurrence of SVOCs in this study are compared with other studies and their sources are discussed.