Elsevier

Science of The Total Environment

Volume 553, 15 May 2016, Pages 196-203
Science of The Total Environment

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins in marine organisms from the Pearl River Estuary in South China: Residue levels and interspecies differences

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.02.144Get rights and content

Highlights

  • SCCPs were measured in marine organisms from the Pearl River Estuary, South China.

  •  SCCP levels in the marine species were in the medial level of world figures.

  • Biomagnification was found between prey fish (tapertail anchovy) and predator fish (Bombay duck).

  • Interspecies difference was found in the level and composition of SCCPs.

Abstract

There is limited information available on the bioaccumulation of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), a complicated group of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) candidates listed in the Stockholm Convention, in estuarine ecosystem. This study analyzed SCCPs in marine organisms (five fish and six invertebrates) from the Pearl River Estuary in South China. The concentrations of total SCCPs ranged from 210 to 21,000 ng·g 1 lipid weight, with relatively higher levels in benthic invertebrates (shrimp, crabs and bivalves) than in non-benthic species (pelagic and mesopelagic fish and squid). SCCPs were biomagnified from prey fish (tapertail anchovy, Coilia mystus) to predator fish (Bombay duck, Harpadon nehereus), and the biomagnification factors (BMFs) of SCCP congeners ranged from 1.1 (C10H16Cl6) to 3.4 (C13H18Cl10). Species-specific homologue group patterns were also observed, with significantly lower proportions of C10 congeners in the shrimp, bivalves and Bombay duck than in the other species.

Introduction

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are industrial chemicals extensively used as additives in metalworking fluids, paints, and extreme-pressure lubricants, and as secondary plasticizers and flame retardants in plastics, sealants, and leather (Bayen et al., 2006). The CP commercial mixtures are manufactured by direct chlorination of n-alkane feedstocks with carbon chain lengths 10–30 (Tomy et al., 1998). In general, CPs are divided into three groups according to their carbon chain length: short chain CPs (C10–13, SCCPs), medium chain CPs (C14–17, MCCPs) and long chain CPs (C18–30, LCCPs) (Feo et al., 2009). Among different CP groups, SCCPs have attracted increasing attention in the last decade due to their persistence (Iozza et al., 2008), bioaccumulation (Houde et al., 2008, Zeng et al., 2011a, Basconcillo et al., 2015), toxicity to organisms (Warnasuriya et al., 2010, Geng et al., 2015, Geng et al., 2016), and high potential for long-distance atmospheric transport (Reth et al., 2006, Strid et al., 2013). SCCPs have been placed on the toxic release inventory in the European Union, Japan, Canada, and the United States, and are classified as priority toxic substances in the United States (UNEP, 2015a). Furthermore, SCCPs are currently reviewed as potential persistent organic pollutants (POPs) by the Stockholm Convention (UNEP, 2015b).

China is the largest producer of CPs in the world, and the production volume has rapidly increased from 24.2 kt/year in 1990 to about 1000 kt/year in 2009 (Chen et al., 2011, Zeng et al., 2011a). As high production volume chemicals, CPs can be inevitably released into the environment during the production, storage, transportation, usage, and disposal or recycling of CPs and CP-based products. Limited studies indicate SCCPs have become ubiquitous in the environment and are routinely detected in both biotic and abiotic compartments in China (Gao et al., 2012, Ma et al., 2014a, Ma et al., 2014b). In addition, higher dietary exposure to SCCPs was reported in China, than that in Japan and South Korea (Harada et al., 2011). Thus, it is important to investigate the environmental fate, behavior, and ecological and health effects of SCCPs in China.

The Pearl River Delta region, one of the fastest developing regions in China in recent decades, is being subjected to accelerated ecological and environmental deterioration. Many studies demonstrate that the Pearl River Delta region have become a hotspot area for persistent halogenated compound contamination due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, and intensive e-waste recycling activities (Fu et al., 2003, Mai et al., 2005a, Mai et al., 2005b). High levels of ∑ SCCPs were observed in various environmental matrices such as sediment (320–6600 ng·g 1 dry weight, dw), soil (18 ng·g 1 dw, average), and air samples (18 ng·m 3, average) obtained from this region (Chen et al., 2011, Wang et al., 2013). Luo et al. (2015) reported that ∑ SCCP concentrations in terrestrial bird species inhabiting an e-waste recycling site in the Pearl River Delta, South China ranged from 620 to 17,000 ng·g 1 lipid weight (lw).

The Pearl River Estuary, located in the Pearl River Delta region, is created by freshwater inflow from a complicated river system including the Pearl River, West River, North River, and East River to the South China Sea. The Pearl River Estuary has been acting as an important reservoir for persistent halogenated compounds derived from the Pearl River Delta, which may pose negative impacts to local coastal ecosystems (Fu et al., 2003, Mai et al., 2005a, Mai et al., 2005b). High levels of persistent halogenated compounds, including Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), have been detected in biota from the Pearl River Estuary (Sun et al., 2015a, Sun et al., 2015b). Limited information, however, is available on the occurrence of SCCPs in marine species in this region (Zeng et al., 2015).

In this study, various marine organisms, including fish and invertebrates, were collected from the Pearl River Estuary in South China in order to analyze the presence of SCCPs. The objectives of this study were to investigate the residual levels and congener distribution patterns of SCCPs in marine species of the area. Furthermore, species-specific bioaccumulation of SCCPs in marine organisms was explored. It is hoped that the corresponding results in this study can provide valuable information to better understand the contamination of SCCPs in marine ecosystems.

Section snippets

Sampling

Marine organisms were caught with a bottom trawl by commercial fishers in the Pearl River Estuary in October 2013 and the sampling area is shown in Fig. 1. The samples were wrapped in aluminum foil, and stored in an insulated cooler with sufficient ice. These species were identified after they were transferred to the laboratory. The collected species included Chinese herring (Ilisha elongata), sardine (Sardinella jussieu), silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus), tapertail anchovy (Coilia mystus),

SCCPs levels in marine species

The concentrations of ∑ SCCPs in the sampled marine organisms from the Pearl River Estuary are listed in Table 1. ∑ SCCP concentrations in the marine species ranged from 210 to 21,000 ng·g 1 lw. The levels of ∑ SCCPs in the marine species were significantly higher than previously detected levels of other halogenated organic pollutants including DDTs (54–1500 ng·g 1 lw), PCBs (16–700 ng·g 1 lw), PBDEs (0.56–59 ng·g 1 lw) and several of the currently used alternative halogenated flame retardants (AHFRs,

Conclusion

SCCP contamination was examined in marine organisms collected from the Pearl River Estuary in South China. The results demonstrated that the levels of ∑ SCCPs in the marine species in the study area were in the medial level of world figures. The concentrations and congener group abundance profiles of SCCPs exhibited interspecies difference, which could be attributed to the differences in habitat, feeding habits, trophic levels and metabolic capacity among the marine species. Biomagnification was

Acknowledgments

The research has received funding from the National Basic Research Program of China (2015CB453102), the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China (No. 201309030-02), and the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41273118, 41473102, and 41230639). This is contribution No. IS-2194 from GIGCAS.

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