title: Levels and distribution of PCDD/Fs, dl-PCBs, and organochlorine pesticides in sediments from the lower reaches of the Haihe River basin, China.
abstract: The concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in surface sediments from the lower reaches of the Haihe River basin, northern China, were determined by high-resolution gas chromatograph-high-resolution mass spectrometer. The concentrations of 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs, dl-PCBs, and total OCPs [sum of hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorocyclohexanes, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs)] in 17 sediment samples were in the ranges of 11.6-1,180,924 pg/g dry weight (dw), 18.7-50,017 pg/g dw, and 1.7-35,280 ng/g dw, respectively. The contamination levels in the samples varied significantly between the different sites. Abnormally high concentrations of PCDD/Fs, dl-PCBs, and some OCPs were found in sediments from the lower reaches of the main channel of the Haihe River and the Dagu Drainage River, which were attributed to the historical production of pentachlorophenol and other pesticides near these locations. High levels of DDTs were detected in the Yongding New River sediment, which were likely to have originated from the discharge of wastewater from a dicofol factory upstream. In samples taken from other sites, the concentrations of these pollutants were at levels comparable to those documented in other areas of China. This preliminary investigation suggests that historical pesticide production in the Haihe River basin has contributed significantly to the contamination of this aquatic ecosystem and that further attention to this issue is warranted.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 2871, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Minghui
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Lirong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lidan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D001572:Benzofurans / Q000032:analysis*; D002681:China; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D001572:Benzofurans; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls