3 research outputs found
Environmental Occurrence and Distribution of Short Chain Chlorinated Paraffins in Sediments and Soils from the Liaohe River Basin, P. R. China
Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are industrially produced
in large
quantities in the Liaohe River Basin. Their discharge inevitably causes
environmental contamination. However, very limited information is
available on their environmental levels and distributions in this
typical industrial region. In this study, short chain CPs (SCCPs)
were analyzed in sediments, paddy soils, and upland soils from the
Liaohe River Basin, with concentrations ranging from 39.8 to 480.3
ng/g dry weight. A decreasing trend in SCCP concentrations was found
with increasing distance from the cities, suggesting that local industrial
activity was the major source of SCCP contamination. A preliminary
sediment inventory of SCCPs indicated approximately 30.82
tonnes of SCCPs residual in the sediments from the Liaohe River. The
average discharge of SCCPs was estimated to be about 74.4 mg/tonne
industrial wastewater. The congener group profiles showed that the
relative abundances of shorter chain and lower chlorinated CP congeners
(C<sub>10</sub>–CPs with 5 or 6 chlorine atoms) in soils in
rural areas were higher than in sites near cities, which demonstrated
that long-range atmospheric transportation could be the major transport
pathway. Environmental degradation of SCCPs might occur, where higher
chlorinated congeners could dechlorinate to form the lower chlorinated
congeners