Investigations into the PCDD contamination of topsoil, river sediments and kaolinite clay in Queensland, Australia (original) (raw)
Related papers
Chemosphere, 2001
Recent studies have demonstrated the occurrence of elevated levels of higher chlorinated PCDDs in the coastal environment of Queensland, Australia. This study presents new data for OCDD contamination and full PCDD/F pro®le analysis in the environment of Queensland. Marine sediments, irrigation drain sediments and topsoil were collected from sites that were expected to be in¯uenced by speci®c land-use types. High OCDD concentrations were associated mainly with sediments collected near the mouth of rivers which drain into large catchments in the tropical and subtropical regions. Further, analysis of sediments from irrigation drains could be clearly dierentiated on the basis of OCDD contamination, with high concentrations in samples from sugarcane drains collected from coastal regions, and low concentrations in drain sediments from drier inland cotton growing areas. PCDD/F congener-speci®c analysis demonstrated almost identical congener pro®les in all samples collected along the coastline. This indicates the source to be widespread. Pro®les were dominated by higher chlorinated PCDDs, in particular OCDD whereas 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDFs were below the limit of quanti®cation in the majority of samples. The full PCDD/F pro®le analysis of samples strongly resemble those reported for lake sediments from Mississippi and kaolinite samples from Germany. Strong similarities to these samples with respect to congener pro®les and isomer patterns may indicate the presence of a similar source and/or formation process that is yet unidenti®ed.
PCDDs and PCDFs in soil and river sediment samples from a rural area in the United States of America
Chemosphere, 1997
In 1994, we collected 36 soil samples and 61 sediment samples from southern Mississippi, USA. Each sample was analyzed for PCDDs and PCDFs by HRMS using either a polar or a non-polar HRGC column. Although most Cl, -Cls PCDDs and PCDFs were detected in each sample, PCDD levels (particularly Cl7 -Cl,) were higher in sediment than soil samples. The PCDF pattern in two sediment samples indicated a possible PCB source. The concentrations of 2,3,7,%tetra CDD and 2,3,7&tetra CDF were somewhat higher upstream of a pulp mill than downstream from the mill. 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
Journal of Soils and Sediments
Purpose The purpose of the study was to determine the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDD/F), two types of persistent organic pollutant (POP), in an urban retention reservoir located in an industrial zone within a coal-mining region. It also assesses the potential ecological risk of the PCDDs/Fs present in bottom sediments and the relationship between their content and the fraction of organic matter. Materials and methods The sediment samples were collected from Rybnik Reservoir, located in the centre of the Rybnik Coal Region, Silesia, one of Poland’s major industrial centres. Seventeen PCDD/F congeners in the surface of the sediments were analysed using high-resolution gas chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). Results and discussion The toxic equivalency (TEQ) of the PCDDs/Fs in the sediments ranged from 1.65 to 32.68 pg TEQ g−1. PCDDs constituted 59–78% of the total PCDDs/Fs, while the PCDFs accounted for 2...
PCDDS, PCDFS, PCBS and HCB in marine and estuarine sediments from Queensland, Australia
Chemosphere, 1999
Concentrations of 2,3,7,8-chlorine substituted PCDDs, PCDFs, selected PCB congeners and HCB were determined in sediment samples collected from sites along the east coast of Queensland in northern Australia. PCDDs were detectable in all sediment samples while PCDFs, PCBs and HCB were mainly found in sediment samples collected from sites in the Brisbane metropolitan area. The results provide evidence that an unidentified source for higher chlorinated PCDDs exists along the Queensland coast.
Sources and relative importance of PCDD and PCDF emissions
Waste Management & Research, 1987
Polychlorinated dioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF) have been identified in technical products and pesticides, most of which are not very widely used today. Other sources are incinerators of various types like MSW incinerators, hazardous waste incinerators and industrial incinerators. PCDDs and PCDFs have also been identified in exhausts from cars running on leaded gasoline with halogenated additives. Background levels of PCDDs and PCDFs have been identified in fish and other aquatic organisms from the Great Lakes and the Baltic Sea, and also in human adipose tissue samples from U .S .A ., Canada, Sweden, Japan and Vietnam as well as in samples of breast milk from Sweden, Denmark, West Germany, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia and Vietnam. The isomeric pattern in all these biological samples is very similar. The relative importance of different sources to the general background is difficult to estimate although the contribution of direct inhalation from point sources like MSW incinerators is small .
PCDD/PCDF pollution in soils and sediments from the Pearl River Delta of China
Chemosphere, 2009
This study reported detection of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) for 62 soil samples and 3 sediment samples collected from the Pearl River Delta, a rapidly industrialized and highly populated area of South China. The results show that the PCDD/F concentrations ranged from 97.6 to 9,600 ng kg À1 and that the average total concentrations of PCDD/Fs are 1311, 2504, 1320 and 2335 ng kg À1 (dw), and 1.24, 3.99, 4.80 and 2.63 ng WHO 1998 -TEQ kg À1 for the samples collected from remote mountains, suburban areas, industrial areas, and residential/commercial areas, respectively. The WHO 1998 -TEQ values calculated for 17 soil samples are higher than 4 ng kg À1 but lower than 20 ng kg À1 , whereas the WHO 1998 -TEQ values calculated for the remaining 45 samples are lower than 4 ng kg À1 . According to the Canada soil quality guideline, the PCDD/F concentrations in 27.4% of the tested soil samples in this study are greater than the Canadian background concentrations, and the PCDD/F concentrations for the remaining soil samples (73.6%) are lower than the Canadian background concentration.
Detailed studies of the factors controlling atmospheric PCDD/F concentrations
1999
Thirty-seven 2-3 day air samples were collected between September and December 1997 to investigate the factors controlling PCDD/F concentrations at a semirural site near Lancaster on the west coast of the U.K. ΣCl 2-8 DD/F (ΣTEQ) concentrations varied by a factor of ∼40, from 4.1 to 182 pg/m 3 (5.5-220 fg ΣTEQ/m 3 ) with a mean concentration of 37.2 pg/m 3 (38 fg ΣTEQ/m 3 ). Atmospheric PCDD/F concentrations depended strongly on air mass origin, with lowest ΣCl 3-8 DD/F concentrations coming from the west (off the Irish Sea) and higher ones arriving over land, suggestive of ongoing land-based sources. In marked contrast, Cl 2 DD/F levels were highest with westerly winds, suggestive of specific sources west of Lancaster. Most homologue groups and 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners showed a significant (at the P e 0.05 level) inverse relationship with ambient temperature, consistent with domestic burning of coal/wood as an important source during colder periods. In contrast, the Cl 2 DD/Fs were positively correlated with temperature, rain, and wind direction. Principal components analysis, based on the relative homologue pattern of Cl 3-8 DD/Fs, discriminated few sample groups. Samples originating from the cleaner "ocean sector" were weathered and relatively depleted in PCDDs. An individual sample, taken around "Bonfire night" (a traditional festival), was dominated by Cl 7/8 DDs. However, the majority of samples was clustered together, regardless of air mass origin. It is hypothesized that diffuse land-based sources principally supply Cl 3-8 DD/Fs to the atmosphere and that their long atmospheric residence times mean that the PCDD/F mixture is only slowly altered during air mass movement.
PCDD/F and PCB history in dated sediments of a rural lake
Chemosphere, 2002
Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), dibenzofurans (PCDF) and biphenyls (PCB) were analysed from a sediment core, which had been sampled from a remote lake in Finland. The deepest subsamples were analysed from a depth of 4.0 m, and were more than 8000 years old. At the surface of the sediment core, low levels of industrial background contamination were detected. The sum of 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs was 35 ng/kg d.w. (dry weight), or 1.2 ng/kg d.w. in WHO's toxicity equivalent, WHO-TEQ. The annual accumulation rate of 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs was 1.26 ng m À2 a À1 . Deeper in the core, PCDD/F concentrations ranged between 2.11 and 11.1 ng/kg d.w. (0.24 and 1.70 ng/kg d.w. WHO-TEQ) and the accumulation rate was 0.11 ng m À2 a À1 . A characteristic PCDD/F congener profile was found in all pre-industrial sediment layers. The order of concentrations was OCDD > 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD > 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD > 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD > 2,3,7,8-TCDD, and concentrations of 2,3,7,8chlorinated dibenzofurans were below the detection limit. Similar congener profiles have previously been described in samples for which natural PCDD/F formation has been proposed. PCBs were present at low levels in all of the sediment samples. The sum of the PCB concentrations of the sediment subsamples ranged between 50 and 2540 ng/kg d.w., and the three predominant congeners in the core were PCBs 18, 52, and 110. Ó