1 research outputs found
Organic Contaminants in Chinese Sewage Sludge: A Meta-Analysis of the Literature of the Past 30 Years
The
production of sewage sludge is increasing in China but with
unsafe disposal practices, causing potential risk to human health
and the environment. Using literature from the past 30 years (<i>N</i> = 159), we conducted a meta-analysis of organic contaminants
(OCs) in Chinese sludge. Most data were available from developed and
populated regions, and no data were found for Tibet. Since 1987, 35
classes of chemicals consisting of 749 individual compounds and 1
mixture have been analyzed, in which antibiotics and polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) were the most targeted analytes. For 13 classes
of principal OCs (defined as chemicals detected in over five studies)
in sludge, the median (expressed in nanograms per gram dry weight)
was the highest for phthalate esters (27 900), followed by
alkylphenol polyethoxylates (12 000), synthetic musks (5800),
antibiotics (4240), PAHs (3490), ultraviolet stabilizers (670), bisphenol
analogs (160), organochlorine pesticides (110), polybrominated diphenyl
ethers (100), pharmaceuticals (84), hormones (69), perfluorinated
compounds (21), and polychlorinated biphenyls (15). Concentrations
of PAHs in sludges collected between 1998 and 2012 showed a decreasing
trend. Study findings suggest the need for a Chinese national sewage
sludge survey to identify and regulate toxic OCs, ideally employing
both targeted as well as nontargeted screening approaches