Environmental Risk Sources Research Articles

Design of Underground Integrated Corridor Monitoring System in Yude Road, Liupanshui City

At present, there is limited experience in the construction of environmental monitoring system for urban underground integrated corridors. In order to meet the needs of corridor environment risk management, a comprehensive road condition management system of Liupanshui Yude road was designed. The system hardware system which combines the system workstation with the data transmission module is established, and a software system platform based on environmental monitoring, compression coding, encapsulation and wireless module is designed. A real-time monitoring system for environmental risk sources is established, which integrates environmental monitoring data, and provides a reference for the design of engineering environment and equipment monitoring system.

Ecological Risk Assessment of Soil in Rapid Urbanization Area by Risk Regionalization

Rapid urbanization is a major source of environmental risk in soil. In this study, we developed a method for the ecological risk assessment in rapid urbanization area, which was set up based on potential ecological risk assessment and risk regionalization. The 10 heavy metals were extracted from the Soil Baseline Study of Tianjin, and the four risk levels were built according to the adjusted valuation criteria in the method. The results showed that the level of ecological risk was closely related to the degree of Soil pollution in in Rapid Urbanization Area.

Gas-phase and semivolatile organic emissions from a modern nonroad diesel engine equipped with advanced aftertreatment

ABSTRACTU.S. Tier 4 Final and Euro Stage IV and V regulations for nonroad compression-ignition engines have led to the development of exhaust aftertreatment technologies optimized for nonroad engines and duty cycles. In this study, several aftertreatment configurations consisting of state-of-the-art diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs), diesel particulate filters (DPFs), copper (Cu) zeolite– and vanadium-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts, and ammonia oxidation (AMOX) catalysts are evaluated using both nonroad transient (NRTC) and steady (8-mode NRSC) cycles in order to understand both component- and system-level effects of diesel aftertreatment on gas-phase, semivolatile, and particle-phase and particle-bound unregulated organic emissions. Organic emissions reported in this work include total hydrocarbon (THC), n-alkanes, branched alkanes, saturated cycloalkanes, aromatics, aldehydes, ketones, hopanes, steranes, and soluble organic fraction (SOF). Brake-specific emissions are reported for four configurations, including engine-out, DOC+CuZ-SCR+AMOX, V-SCR+AMOX, and DOC+DPF+CuZ-SCR+AMOX, and conversion of engine-out emissions is reported for the three aftertreatment configurations. Mechanisms responsible for the reduction of organic species are discussed in detail. This summary of emissions from a current nonroad diesel engine equipped with advanced aftertreatment can be used to more accurately model the impact of anthropogenic emissions on the atmosphere with tools such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES2014a) model.Implications: Anthropogenic emissions are a source of significant human health and environmental risk. This study, focused on the treatment of exhaust emissions from a modern nonroad diesel engine with a variety of aftertreatment configurations, examines the impact that human industrial activity can have on air pollution. In particular, we focus on the remediation of gas-phase and semivolatile organic emissions by emission reduction technologies. This detailed summary of emissions from a current nonroad diesel engine equipped with advanced aftertreatment can be used to more accurately model the impact of anthropogenic emissions on the atmosphere with tools such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s MOVES2014a model.

Emergency monitoring and disposal decision support system for sudden pollution accidents based on multimedia information system

As the economy and society enter the period of rapid post-industrialization, the pressures on resources and the environment are becoming more obvious. Therefore, the environmental protection work faces more challenges. There are many important elements in the environmental emergency detection system, such as emergency monitoring data, information, and command transmission. In order to deal with all kinds of sudden environmental pollution accidents in a timely manner and to reduce the damage to the environment caused by accidents, we need to ensure the safety of the environment. Therefore, we must use scientific methods to manage sudden environmental pollution accidents. In this paper, we combine Internet technology, GIS technology and multimedia database technology, and establishes a decision support system for emergency monitoring and disposal based on multimedia information systems. Its basic hardware includes environmental risk source monitoring, emergency monitoring, command and dispatch, environmental emergency network and environmental emergency monitoring center construction. The software system includes basic software environment, environmental emergency monitoring and command information sharing platform, application software and unified portal. The entire system is integrated according to an organized organizational system, providing detection systems and early warning systems for sudden environmental pollution incident prevention and emergency response. The system we designed can collect and process relevant information in a very short time. The system can quickly handle emergency decision-making and minimize the adverse effects caused by sudden environmental pollution accidents. Experiment results show the well performance of the proposed system. The multimedia based user interface guarantees the user experience.

Risk Assessment of Upper-Middle Reaches of Luanhe River Basin in Sudden Water Pollution Incidents Based on Control Units of Water Function Areas

Upper-middle reaches of Luanhe River Basin belongs to Haihe River Basin and it is a pretty important water source to North China, especially to Tianjin and Tangshan Cities, Hebei. Based on control units of the water function areas and the sub-basins the working units were produced. The index system for environmental risk source hazard was constructed by adopting the pressure state response (PSR) environmental analysis model. The environment risk sources are identified, and their hazard grade assessment is performed. In the environmental risk source hazard an assessment index system, namely “downstream characteristics of environmental risk sources” is added by taking the fact into account that environmental risk sources themselves are affected by different functional areas (working units) downstream of the rivers. Through collecting hazard data, determining their standards and weights for environment risk sources, the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method is used to calculate the risk source hazard grades and the vulnerability grades of the working units. Using the one-dimensional exponential decay river model for pollutants in rivers, the hazard grade evaluation method of working units is established. This consists of two parts: (1) The risk source hazard grade of the working unit itself, and (2) the impact of the risk sources upstream on the working unit downstream of the rivers. Combining the hazard grade with the vulnerability grade of the working unit, the risk grade of the working unit is evaluated through the risk matrix. The risk zones of the watershed are realized by merging working units in the same control units of the water function areas with the same risk grades. The risk zoning of sudden water pollution incidents in the upper and middle reaches of Luanhe River Basin is obtained by applying the above risk zoning method. It is found that there are 55 risk zones in total, including three highest risk zones, 15 higher risk zones, 14 lower risk zones, 23 lowest risk zones. These results indicate that the upper and middle reaches of River Luanhe are overall at low risk. The corresponding management methods for the different risk zones are suggested.

The Treacherous Path: Developmental Psychopathology and the Evolution of Risk for Suicide

ABSTRACTAs suicide rates continue to rise in the United States, efforts to study the factors that might create vulnerability to suicidal thoughts and behaviors have similarly increased. Challenges associated with arriving at an empirical understanding of the role that environmental, relational, intrapsychic, and other sources of risk play in determining an individual’s vulnerability to acting on suicidal impulses has led to limited efforts to articulate a comprehensive model of suicide that takes psychoanalytically informed developmental principles into account. Whereas the few longitudinal studies of suicidal individuals that do exist have primarily focused on history of psychiatric symptoms, the timing of traumatic events, and the stability of other specific risk factors known to relate to suicide, research is lacking that addresses the relative influence of relational disturbances and subjective experiences of pain and alienation in suicidal individuals, which often begin in childhood and adolescence and are known to play a role in determining how an individual contends with experiences of adversity over the course of a lifetime. This paper provides an overview of literature relevant to the understanding of how psychoanalytic constructs such as attachment style, object relations, and defenses are related to suicidal behavior, and illustrates the need for ongoing research on suicidal behaviors approached from within a psychoanalytic perspective.

Policies to support environmental risk management in investment decisions

Investors are increasingly requiring assessments of environmental risks arising from climate change, natural resource scarcity and pollution. Improved environmental risk management also lowers the total cost of capital of firms, thus making them more attractive to investors. We illustrate this relationship by demonstrating how greater environmental risk may increase a firm's after-tax cost of capital. However, better environmental risk management by firms requires a range of complementary policies. The rules governing the financial system should support investment decision-making that takes into account environmental sources of risk and opportunity. Central banks can advance this objective by establishing environmental risk management and reporting requirements and adjusting capital provisioning to account for underpriced environmental threats. There is also a need to develop international guidelines and common policy and legal frameworks to support and streamline such initiatives. Developing such a policy strategy is likely to produce a self-reinforcing gain to firms, investors and society.

FACTORS INFLUENCING GREEN PURCHASING ADOPTION FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs) IN MALAYSIA

Acute awareness of environmental problems following continuous environmental deterioration drives growing SMEs to adopt green purchasing practices. SMEs are recognized as the main source of environmental risk and bottleneck in adopting green purchasing practices. This is mainly due to SMEs are lack of information and resources or expertise to deal with the environmental issues. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors influencing green purchasing adoption for EMS IS0 14001 SMEs in Malaysia. A cross-sectional approach using survey was conducted among all the EMS 14001 certified SMEs listed under the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) 2012 directory. A research model been proposed as supported with stakeholders theory. The research model comprises of green purchasing adoption as a dependent variable while government regulations, customer pressures, top management support, supplier relationship and perceived benefits as independent variables and corporate social responsibility as moderating variable. Results show that only government regulations, customer pressures and perceived benefits were found to be positively and significantly influencing green purchasing adoption for SMEs in Malaysia. Limitations and suggestion for future research are discussed.Keywords: Green Purchasing Adoption; SMEs; Malaysia..

Environmental Risk Analysis by Financial Institutions

The role of financial institutions in sustainability transitions has been conceptualised for a number of years, however there is a growing recognition, that traditional approaches are insufficient in the face of new levels of scale, likelihood and interconnectedness of environmental sources of risk. This paper has sought to address this problem by conducting a review of existing approaches to incorporating environmental sources of risk into mainstream financial risk frameworks. The review generated fourteen illustrative case studies from the submissions of G20 countries, financial institutions and private sector stakeholders. In order to help the analysis an analytical framework to categorise financial risks arising from environmental sources of risk was developed. The paper makes several contributions to the research on sustainability transitions (Markard, Raven, & Truffer, 2012). Firstly, it proposes a simple framework for understanding environmental sources of financial risks. Such a framework helps fi...

Sugar‐Sweetened Beverage Intake as a Modulator of Genetic Associations for Chronic Inflammation Relevant to Cardiovascular Disease

BackgroundCardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Although much research has been devoted to understanding environmental and genetic sources of cardiovascular disease risk separately, little is known about how environmental exposures might modify genetic components of risk. The consumption of sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs) is one such environmental exposure that has been linked to elevated risk of cardiovascular outcomes. Although the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, chronic inflammation is one of the most robust proposals for the elevated risk observed. Chronic inflammation is known to be affected by both genetic and environmental factors, but very few interaction effects between genetic risk of inflammation and SSB consumption have been defined.MethodsThis study analyzed cross‐sectional data from 1,043 adults in the Framingham Offspring Study cohort for whom both environmental and genetic data were available. Data were collected in exams six (1995–1998) and seven (1998–2001). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to assess how SSB intake might modify the risk of inflammation associated with each of 806 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 218 linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks previously found to be co‐associated with cardiovascular disease and adiposity phenotypes. Inflammation was assessed via each of four serum inflammation biomarkers: C‐reactive protein (CRP), adiponectin, myeloperoxidase (MPO), and fibrinogen.ResultsAfter adjustment for multiple testing, SNPs from 38 LD blocks displayed significant interactions with SSB intake when CRP was the outcome. Of these, 25 LD blocks comprised SNPs that displayed significant interaction effects of a consistent pattern. These LD blocks were characterized by patterns of reduced risk (six of the 25 LD blocks) or elevated risk (19 of the 25 LD blocks). When fibrinogen was the outcome, SNPs from one LD block displayed significant interactions with SSB intake. This LD block comprised two SNPs, each of which displayed significant interaction effects in a pattern of elevated risk. The genetic markers of interest were then mapped to genes, some of which play known roles in inflammatory processes. No statistically significant interaction effects were observed between SSB intake and either adiponectin or MPO.ConclusionSeveral SNPs displaying statistically significant gene‐environment interaction effects on inflammation biomarkers, in particular CRP, have been identified. Replication studies in other populations are required to conclusively determine the role of SSBs in modifying the association between specific genetic variants and biomarkers of chronic inflammation, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.Support or Funding InformationU.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement No. 8050‐51000‐ 098‐00D National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grant U01‐HL072524‐04 National Institutes of Health (5R21HL114238‐02)

Investigation of the Leaching Characteristics of Heavy Metals from Waste Printed Circuit Boards through Column Testing with Simulated Acid Rain

Waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) contain various heavy metals; hence, randomly discarded PCBs in open fields induce probable environmental risks when precipitation occurs, particularly acid rain (AR). We applied the column leaching method under simulated AR leaching to study the leaching characteristics of Cu, Pb and Zn in waste PCBs. Cu and Pb were easily leached by AR (pH 2 and 3) but not by distilled water (pH 5.6; CK treatment). By contrast, Zn could be leached readily even in CK treatment. AR with low pH exerted good leaching effects on Cu, Pb, and Zn. The heavy metal contents in the leachates were in the order of Cu > Pb > Zn. The maximum leaching concentrations of Cu, Pb, and Zn were 34.7, 4.06, and 1.15 mg/L, respectively, which are higher than drinking water standard set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Therefore, waste PCBs can be considered a new source of heavy metal and pose potential environmental risks.

Organizational Ownership Structure and Employee Perceptions

Organizations in the present day endure dynamic volatile environment in terms of socio-political-economic environment and a changing value system such as relationship with external organization, economic conditions of the market, Socio-political context, labour market, distribution networks, environmental sources of risk, uncertainty and opportunity, the instability of consumer tastes, trades unions and diversified workforce (Sheaff, Schofield, Mannion, Dowling, Marshall, & McNally, 2003). These factors play a key role in an organization's structure, process and The ownership is the fundamental structural characteristic that determines how organization fine-tune their other structural characteristics such as hierarchies, division of labour in response to their environmental circumstances.Organizational structure in IndiaOrganizational structure particularly in India can be classified in terms of ownership control- Government owned Public sector undertaking, Private owned firms and Entrepreneurial Ventures. Though the employees and labourer in both the firms are under the ambit of the same labour laws, in Indian context it has been observed that there have always been differences in the three structures in various ways such as mission, values, goals, climate, culture, and Human Resource practices in these firms.Especially HR practices such as recruitment and selection, training and development, career advancement, wages and allowances, promotion, working condition, level of workers participation, collective bargaining, standard of safety, performance appraisal, style of leadership, work load, communication facilities, recognition of merit, authority and responsibilities, grievances handling differ considerably. The primary reason that can attributed is the climate as a result of ownership control that differs among the firms (Murty, Khan, & Abhinov, 2011).The government-owned corporation which is termed as a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), the ownership control vests with the Government. In private sector undertakings also, there are departments with various work structures. They operate on different functions and cannot override each other's functions. The third type of organizations that exist in terms of Organizational Structure is the Entrepreneurial firms. The firm is an entity primarily shaped by an entrepreneur's visions and goals. Entrepreneurs motivate their employees either extrinsically, by relying on instructions, incentives, and monitoring mechanisms, or intrinsically by achieving a commonly shared understanding of the company's goals and procedures among the firm's employees.Several research works on management have focussed on how techniques can improve core working practices, profits, and numerical outputs which are labelled as organizational outcomes. However, few researches have tried to deliberate on the role of what is termed as second order namely processes such as leadership styles, stress, commitment and group personality dispositions which contribute to the core working processes indirectly. The present study aims at understanding the psychological variables of Organizational Commitment, Leadership Perceptions, Stress, and Personality Dispositions differ in varied ownership and structural characteristics of an organization.Organizational commitment and structureOrganizational commitment, which, is defined as the relative strength of an employee's attachment or involvement with the organization (Porter, 1974), is a multidimensional construct that has the potential to predict outcomes such as performance, turnover, absenteeism, tenure, and goals (Morrow, 1993; Meyer & Allen, 1997). Accroding to Becker (I960), commitment involves the perceived 'gains and costs' associated with membership of an organization internalization of the goals and values of the organisation (Hall & Schneider, 1972), organizationaljustice (Konovsky & Cropanzano, 1991). …

Tracing Sources of Heavy Metals in the Soil Profiles of Drylands by Multivariate Statistical Analysis and Lead Isotope

Two profile soils in drylands of Xiamen City were collected and 26 kinds of heavy metals were determined by ICP-MS. The distribution characteristics, environmental risk and pollution sources of heavy metals in soil profiles were studied. The results of Nemero comprehensive pollution index method, the geological accumulation index method and potential ecological hazard index method indicated that Cd was the main pollution factor in the drylands of Xiamen City; the soil pollution was serious in 50-60 cm depth. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that the main sources of heavy metals were the compound pollution of agricultural production activities and natural resources, and the main pollution factor Cd was from agricultural production. Composition of acid-extractable Pb isotopic ratios in soil profiles and potential pollution sources were analyzed. The results showed that Pb in soil profiles was from sludge and parent material. The contribution rates of the two sources in the soil profiles by ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb-²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb were calculated by using the two mixed models. In the two profiles, parent material contribution rates were 54.36% and 42.88%, and sludge contribution rates were 45.64% and 57.12%, respectively. The main sources of lead of drylands in Xiamen were parent material and sludge, which was consistent with the results of the multivariate statistical analysis.

Bioconcrete: next generation of self-healing concrete.

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials and has a high tendency to form cracks. These cracks lead to significant reduction in concrete service life and high replacement costs. Although it is not possible to prevent crack formation, various types of techniques are in place to heal the cracks. It has been shown that some of the current concrete treatment methods such as the application of chemicals and polymers are a source of health and environmental risks, and more importantly, they are effective only in the short term. Thus, treatment methods that are environmentally friendly and long-lasting are in high demand. A microbial self-healing approach is distinguished by its potential for long-lasting, rapid and active crack repair, while also being environmentally friendly. Furthermore, the microbial self-healing approach prevails the other treatment techniques due to the efficient bonding capacity and compatibility with concrete compositions. This study provides an overview of the microbial approaches to produce calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Prospective challenges in microbial crack treatment are discussed, and recommendations are also given for areas of future research.

Do genetic and environmental influences on disordered eating change from early to late adolescence?

Genetic and environmental contributions to the global Eating Disorders Examination (EDE) scores over early and later adolescence were investigated to identify whether different sources influence disordered eating (DE). Specific sources of environmental risk were also examined for differences early and late in the adolescent developmental trajectory. Adolescent females from the Australian Twin Registry were interviewed by telephone, including the EDE and impairment/risk-related self-report measures. Data were collected at 12-15 and 16-19 years (Wave 1: N=699, 351 pairs; Wave 3: N=499, 247 pairs). Analyses involved bivariate Cholesky decomposition modelling of genetic and non-shared environmental influences. At 12-15 years, additive genetic and non-shared environmental sources significantly contributed to the DE phenotype, continuing to contribute at 16-19 years; additional independent additive genetic and non-shared environmental sources also conveyed risk at ages 16-19. Linear mixed models of environmental risk identified weight-related peer teasing in early-mid adolescence predicted DE later in adolescence. A second risk period for DE onset appears in late adolescence. The predominance of family relationships attenuates among teenagers synchronously with a strong surge in attention to, and investment in, peer-peer connectivity. This accords with our findings implicating weight-related peer teasing - a non-shared environmental risk factor - in risk of DE. Increased genetic risk and sensitivity to non-shared environmental influences are likely antecedents in development of DE in late teenagehood.

Using lichen biomonitoring to assess environmental justice at a neighbourhood level in an industrial area of Northern France

Environmental inequalities are based on the proximity of socio-economically disadvantaged populations to sources of environmental and public health risks, and have recently been extended to environmental contamination. We evaluated such inequalities using a novel approach, at the scale of neighbourhoods in the industrial area of Dunkerque, France, by associating an index of social disadvantage with environmental biomonitoring measurements.A Localised Disadvantage Index (LDI), which characterises the socio-economic status of populations at a neighbourhood level, was developed using an eco-sociological approach. The burdens of 18 trace elements (TE) were recently determined using samples of epiphytic lichens, collected within the study zone. A mean value of TE burden was modelled for each neighbourhood and an integrated index (Mean Impregnation Ratio, MIR) was generated to assess the level of multi-metallic contamination.LDI mapping reveals socio-economic disparities. The neighbourhoods situated near to factories are the most disadvantaged. Environmental maps reveal high contaminations in the vicinity of the industrial zones. The LDI is significantly correlated with the MIR, and with 16 of 18 TE. Significant differences in the level of contamination are observed between high- and low-deprived neighbourhoods.Our results uncover the presence of environmental inequalities. The most disadvantaged populations live in a strongly contaminated environment. We have pioneered the use of biomonitoring data and an integrated index of contamination for the prospection of environmental inequalities.

Changes in genetic and environmental influences on disordered eating between early and late adolescence: a longitudinal twin study.

We investigated the genetic and environmental contributions to disordered eating (DE) between early and late adolescence in order to determine whether different sources of heritability and environmental risk contributed to these peak times of emergence of eating disorders. Adolescent female twins from the Australian Twin Registry were interviewed over the telephone with the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE). Data were collected at 12-15 and 16-19 years (wave 1: N = 699, 351 pairs; wave 3: N = 499, 247 pairs). Assessments also involved self-report measures related to negative life events and weight-related peer teasing. Unstandardized estimates from the bivariate Cholesky decomposition model showed both genetic influences and non-shared environmental influences increased over adolescence, but shared environmental influences decreased. While non-shared environmental sources active at ages 12-15 years continued to contribute at 16-19 years, new sources of both additive genetic and non-shared environmental risk were introduced at ages 16-19 years. Weight-related peer teasing in early-mid adolescence predicted increases of DE in later adolescence, while negative life events did not. Two-thirds of the heritable influence contributing to DE in late adolescence was unique to this age group. During late adolescence independent sources of genetic risk, as well as environmental influences are likely to be related in part to peer teasing, appear key antecedents in growth of DE.

Environmental risk induced by TiO2 dispersions in waters and sediments: a case study.

A southern Italian area that is characterized by large outcrops of rocks that are rich in titanium oxide (TiO2) phases were investigated to determine the mineralogical risk induced by the natural dispersion of TiO2 minerals. Rock, sediment and surface water samples were collected to determine the physicochemical and mineralogical factors (i.e., size distribution, morphology and alteration) indicative of potential TiO2 toxicity. X-ray diffraction data suggested that titanium oxides were present as rutile and anatase. Scanning electron microscopy images showed elongated TiO2 morphologies; fibres were found as either isolated or embedded/enclosed in flake-like phyllosilicates. The concentration of fibres in stream water ranged from 1.7 to 4.6million fibres per litre. The highest fibre amounts in the sediments were in the <8-µm fraction, while single fibres were primarily concentrated in the <2-µm fraction. The results indicate that titanium oxide minerals represent a natural source of environmental risk and that the geomineralogical characterization of rich TiO2 areas is indispensable for understanding their geoavailability, dispersion and distribution.

Assessment of Hair Aluminum, Lead, and Mercury in a Sample of Autistic Egyptian Children: Environmental Risk Factors of Heavy Metals in Autism.

Background and Aims. The etiological factors involved in the etiology of autism remain elusive and controversial, but both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated. The aim of this study was to assess the levels and possible environmental risk factors and sources of exposure to mercury, lead, and aluminum in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to their matched controls. Methods. One hundred ASD children were studied in comparison to 100 controls. All participants were subjected to clinical evaluation and measurement of mercury, lead, and aluminum through hair analysis which reflects past exposure. Results. The mean Levels of mercury, lead, and aluminum in hair of the autistic patients were significantly higher than controls. Mercury, lead, and aluminum levels were positively correlated with maternal fish consumptions, living nearby gasoline stations, and the usage of aluminum pans, respectively. Conclusion. Levels of mercury, lead, and aluminum in the hair of autistic children are higher than controls. Environmental exposure to these toxic heavy metals, at key times in development, may play a causal role in autism.

Occurrence, distribution, environmental risk assessment and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water and sediments of the Liaohe River Basin, China.

The occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in water and sediments in Liaohe River Basin. The total PAH concentrations ranged from 111.9 to 2,931.6 ng/L in water and from 92.2 to 295,635.2 ng/g dry weight (dw) in sediments. The PAHs in water were dominated by 2-, 3- and 4-ring PAHs, which accounted for 42.8 %, 39.4 % and 14.2 % of the total PAHs, respectively, while in sediment PAHs were dominated by 3-, 4- and 5-ring PAHs, which accounted for 26.5 %, 44.2 % and 17.4 % of the total PAHs, respectively. The benzo[a]pyrene equivalents for water samples showed that in 37 out of 50 sites the values were greater than the national standard, and the environmental risk assessment indicated that high environmental risk of PAHs existed in sediments. Using the molecular ratio method for the source identification it was concluded that PAHs were determined to be from mixed sources (petroleum and combustion) in Liaohe River system and combustion sources in Daliao River system.