Congener-specific analysis of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in the major Chinese technical PCB formulation from a stored Chinese electrical capacitor.
Impurity of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in commercial polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) formulations has been recognized as a relevant source of PCNs in the environment. Congener-specific analysis of most main PCB formulations has been accomplished previously, excluding the Chinese product. The insulating oil in a stored Chinese electric capacitor containing the major Chinese technical formulation "PCB3" was sampled and tested by isotope dilution technology using high-resolution gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). The detected concentration of PCNs in the Chinese PCB oil sample was 1,307.5 μg/g and therefore significantly higher than that reported in PCB formulations from other countries, as well as that in the transformer oil (ASKAREL Nr 1740) additionally tested in the present study for comparison. Based on the measurement, the total amount of PCNs in Chinese PCB3 oil is estimated to be 7.8 t, which would mean only 0.005 % of global production of PCNs of 150,000 t. The homolog profile is similar to those of PCN in Aroclor 1262 and Clophen A40, where the contributions from hexa-CNs and hepta-CNs are predominant and accounted for similar proportions. The Toxic Equivalent Quantity (TEQ) concentration of dioxin-like PCN congeners is 0.47 μg TEQ/g, with the dominant contributors of CN-73 and CN-66/67. This TEQ content from PCN is higher than that in most other PCB formulations with the exemption of the Russian Sovol formulation. The total TEQ in the historic 6,000 t of the Chinese PCB3 formulation is estimated to be 2.8 kg TEQ.
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (SKLESPC), Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Organic Contaminants Control (BKLEOCC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, People's Republic of China. huangjun@tsinghua.edu.cn.
Jun
J
Huang
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (SKLESPC), Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Organic Contaminants Control (BKLEOCC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, People's Republic of China.
Gang
G
Yu
IDEA Consultants, Inc., Shizuoka, 421-0212, Japan.
Makoto
M
Yamauchi
IDEA Consultants, Inc., Shizuoka, 421-0212, Japan.|CSD IDEA (Beijing) Institute of Environmental Innovation Co., Ltd., Beijing, 100084, People's Republic of China.
Toru
T
Matsumura
CSD IDEA (Beijing) Institute of Environmental Innovation Co., Ltd., Beijing, 100084, People's Republic of China.
Norimasa
N
Yamazaki
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (SKLESPC), Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Organic Contaminants Control (BKLEOCC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, People's Republic of China.|POPs Environmental Consulting, Ulmenstrasse 3, 73035, Göppingen, Germany.
Roland
R
Weber
D002681:China; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D055615:Electrical Equipment and Supplies; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D057230:Limit of Detection; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*
D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D009281:Naphthalenes; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Chinese technical PCB; Electrical capacitor; HRGC/HRMS; Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); Polychlorinated naphthalene (PCN)