Application of sewage sludge to arable land-soil concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls, and their accumulation in earthworms.
Soils from five agricultural sites, three research sites, and two privately owned farms were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybronimated diphenylethers (PBDEs). In soils that had not been treated with sludge (reference soils), the international toxic equivalents (I-TEQs) were 0.6 to 1.5 pg/g dry matter (D.M) for the PCDD/Fs. which are low compared to generally reported background soil levels in Europe. The concentrations of sum of six penta- and hexa-PCBs were 450 to 1,400 pg/g DM. The PBDEs 47 and 99 dominated among the tri- to hepta-PBDEs analyzed (8-80 pg/g DM). The impact of adding 1 to 3 tonnes of sludge (DM) per hectare per year on the concentrations was studied at the three research sites by calculating ratios of the compounds in sludge-treated soil to reference soil (S/R ratio). The concentrations of I-TEQs did not increase in the sludge-treated soil, whereas the S/R ratios for PBDEs were greater than one. Also, although the PCB contents were higher in the sludge-treated soils, the background sources were more important for the concentrations of PCBs than of PBDEs. The largest increase in the S/R ratios was found at a private farm where large amounts of sludge had been used in the past. Accumulation of the compounds in earthworms from the sites also was investigated. The biota-soil accumulation factors (BSAFs) of the tested compounds declined in the following order: ortho-PCBs approximately PBDEs > non-ortho-PCBs > 2.3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs. The average BSAF for ortho-PCBs was five (organic matter/lipids), and the lowest BSAFs (0.1-0.8) found were for octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. To our knowledge, accumulation of PBDEs in earthworms has not been published previously.
Matscheko
Nadja
N
Department of Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå SE-901 87, Sweden. nadja.matscheko@chem.umu.se
Tysklind
Mats
M
de Wit
Cynthia
C
Bergek
Sture
S
Andersson
Rolf
R
Sellström
Ulla
U
D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000737:chemistry*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D001572:Benzofurans; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D012722:Sewage; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls