Comparative study on PCDD/F pollution in soil from the Antarctic, Arctic and Tibetan Plateau

Shenglan Jia; Qiang Wang; Li Li; Xuekun Fang; Yehong Shi; Weiguang Xu; Jianxin Hu

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.07.109

Comparative study on PCDD/F pollution in soil from the Antarctic, Arctic and Tibetan Plateau

Sci Total Environ. 2014 Nov 1:497-498:353-359. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.07.109. Epub 2014 Aug 17.

Authors

Shenglan Jia¹, Qiang Wang², Li Li¹, Xuekun Fang³, Yehong Shi⁴, Weiguang Xu¹, Jianxin Hu⁵

Affiliations

¹ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Regional Environmental Quality, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China.
² School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, PR China.
³ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Regional Environmental Quality, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China; Norwegian Institute for Air Research, P.O. Box 100, 2027 Kjeller, Norway.
⁴ Beijing General Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy, Beijing 100160, PR China.
⁵ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Regional Environmental Quality, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China. Electronic address: jianxin@pku.edu.cn.

PMID: 25137383
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.07.109

Abstract

The concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in 35 soil samples collected from Fildes Peninsula in the Antarctic, Ny-Ålesund in the Arctic, and Zhangmu-Nyalam in the Tibetan Plateau were reported in this study. A comparison of the total concentration and TEQ of PCDD/Fs at the Three Poles was conducted. Both the total concentration and TEQ of PCDD/Fs demonstrates a decreasing trend in the order of Zhangmu-Nyalam (mean: 26.22 pg/g, 0.37 pg I-TEQ/g)>Ny-Ålesund (mean: 9.97 pg/g, 0.33 pg I-TEQ/g)>Fildes Peninsula (mean: 2.18 pg/g, 0.015 pg I-TEQ/g) (p<0.05). In all samples, the congener and homologue profiles dominated with higher (seven and eight) chlorinated PCDD/Fs (more than 85% of the total mass percentage of PCDD/Fs) at the Three Poles. Finally, a FLEXPART backward simulation was used to preliminarily identify the potential local and regional anthropogenic sources of PCDD/Fs. The results imply that the air masses passing over surrounding regions with significant PCDD/F emissions might contribute to the occurrence of PCDD/Fs in both the Arctic and Tibetan Plateau.

Keywords: FLEXPART model; PCDD/Fs; Soil; Three Poles.

MeSH terms

Antarctic Regions
Arctic Regions
Benzofurans / analysis*
Environmental Monitoring*
Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / analogs & derivatives*
Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / analysis
Soil / chemistry*
Soil Pollutants / analysis*
Tibet

Substances

Benzofurans
Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins
Soil
Soil Pollutants
dibenzofuran