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Polychlorinated biphenyls in the Yellow River of Henan section: occurrence, composition, and impact factors

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Abstract

The levels, spatial variation, congener profiles, impact factors, and ecological risk of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the sediment from the Yellow River of Henan section, China, were investigated in this paper. Total concentration of 31 PCBs and seven indicator PCBs varied from ND to 1015 pg g−1 and ND to 423 pg g−1, respectively. Compared with other aquatic environments around China, PCB levels in the studied area were relatively low. Spatial variations revealed that tributaries possessed higher PCB levels, in comparison to mainstream, which acted as input sources of PCBs in the mainstream. The homolog profiles were dominated by lighter PCBs (Tri–PentaCBs), contributing above 70% of total PCBs. Correlation analysis between PCB concentrations and total organic carbon indicated that local input or atmospheric deposition was the primary controls of spatial variation of PCBs. According to simple sediment quality guidelines (SQG), the risks posed by PCBs in the sediments might be negligible.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Scientific Foundation of China (Grant No. 41373132), Program for Science and Technology Innovation talents in universities of Henan Province (14HASTIT049).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment, Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan, 453007, China

    Xianfa Su, Jinglan Feng, Liya Guo, Qi Liu & Jianhui Sun

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  1. Xianfa Su
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  2. Jinglan Feng
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  5. Jianhui Sun
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Correspondence to Jinglan Feng.

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Responsible editor: Hongwen Sun

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Su, X., Feng, J., Guo, L. et al. Polychlorinated biphenyls in the Yellow River of Henan section: occurrence, composition, and impact factors. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 13479–13488 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1532-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1532-2

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