title: Concentrations and potential health hazards of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in shallow groundwater of a metal smelting area in Southeastern China.
abstract: A total of 20 shallow groundwater samples were collected from a metal smelting area in southeastern China to determine the concentrations of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), calculate their toxic equivalents (TEQs) to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and estimate the carcinogenic risk of drinking the shallow groundwater. The total concentrations of the 16PAHs (∑PAHs) in the shallow groundwater ranged from 9.62 to 1663.93ngL(-1), with a mean value of 312.63ngL(-1), and the total concentrations of the 7 potentially carcinogenic PAHs (∑PAHC7) ranged from 3.11 to 33.60ngL(-1), with a mean value of 9.61ngL(-1). Naphthalene and BaP, were the dominant PAH species and potentially carcinogenic PAH species in the shallow groundwater of the study area, and they account for 89.97% of ∑PAHs and 82.62% of ∑PAHC7, respectively. High molecular weight-PAHs (HM-PAHs) accounted for a relatively high proportion in the majority of shallow groundwater samples with lower concentrations of ΣPAHs, indicated that HM-PAHs were mainly from historical residues. The TEQs to BaP of the 16PAHs in the 20 shallow groundwater samples varied greatly from 2.55 to 32.73ngL(-1), with a mean value of 8.61ngL(-1), and BaP was the dominant contributor. The total carcinogenic risk levels caused by the 16PAHs in the shallow groundwater in majority of the area were found to be higher than the limit set by the US EPA, posing a potentially serious health risk to those who depend on shallow groundwater for drinking water.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Faculty of Agriculture & Environment, The University of Sydney, NSW 2015, Australia. Electronic address: wchf1680@sina.com.
authors.forename: Chunfa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Graduate School, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: Yongming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Chongqing Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Chongqing 401147, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002273:Carcinogens / Q000633:toxicity*; D002681:China; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000032:analysis*; D004435:Eating; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D060587:Groundwater / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D000072499:Manufacturing and Industrial Facilities; D008669:Metallurgy; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D060766:Drinking Water; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Carcinogenic risk; Composition; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Shallow groundwater; Toxic equivalent