title: Temporal trends of nonylphenol and bisphenol A contamination in the Pearl River Estuary and the adjacent South China Sea recorded by dated sedimentary cores.
abstract: Three dated sedimentary cores were collected for the investigation of temporal trends and the environmental loadings of nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA) in recent decades in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), South China and the adjacent South China Sea (SCS). The peak fluxes of NP and BPA occurred in the mid-1980s in the PRE, coincident with the rapid economic growth in China. The decline of NP and BPA fluxes is attributable to the implementation of sewage treatment in the late 1980s in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Multi-model distributions were observed for the fluxes of NP and BPA in the SCS with the peak fluxes occurring in the late 1950s and the mid-1970s respectively. The fluxes of NP and BPA have increased since the 1990s due to the lack of adequate wastewater treatment facilities and the constant economic growth. Nonylphenol was quantifiably detected in sediments predating its widespread application (1940s), suggesting the downward penetration of NP in the sediment columns. The characterization results revealed that NP and BPA were preserved well and the isomer-selective degradation of NP did not occur significantly in the sediment cores. The environmental loadings of NP and BPA in the PRE sediments were roughly estimated to be 124 t and 1.7 t respectively over the past 30 years.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehau street, Guangzhou 510640, China. pengx@gig.ac.cn
authors.forename: Xianzhi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Zhendi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bixian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mai
authors.forename: Fanrong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shejun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Yiyi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Caiming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Kechang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Gan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D002681:China; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010507:Periodicity; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D010636:Phenols; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C025256:nonylphenol; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds