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Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, organochlorine pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water from the Jiulong River Estuary, China: levels, distributions, influencing factors, and risk assessment

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Abstract

Estuarine systems play an important role in the transportation and transformation of organic pollutants from rivers. Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), organochlorine pesticide (OCP), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in water of the Jiulong River Estuary (JRE), China, were investigated to characterize their distribution, possible source, and potential ecological risk as well as the influencing factors. The total concentrations of PBDEs, OCPs, and PAHs varied from 5.2 to 12.3 pg L−1, from 29.1 to 96.4 ng L−1, and from 28.6 to 48.5 ng L−1, respectively. Their compositions were all consistent at different stations; even the input pathways were multifarious. A source analysis showed that PBDEs may come from the flame retardant usages of penta-BDE and deca-BDE; hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs) were from the use of technical HCHs, while DDTs were attributed to early residuals of industrial sources, and PAHs were mainly from pyrolytic sources. The spatial distributions of PBDEs and OCPs were quite similar with their concentrations, decreasing along the estuary and then increasing when passing the Xiamen Harbor. PAH concentrations were similar along the whole estuary, suggesting that local sources and hydrological conditions might be the influencing factors. The concentrations of these pollutants changed with tidal conditions and were positively correlated with SPM, DOC, and chlorophyll a but negatively correlated with salinity. The ecological risk assessment revealed that OCPs and PAHs posed slightly higher potential risks to aquatic organism in the study area.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NSFC Key International (Regional) Cooperative Project (40810069004 and 41276066). Special thanks are given to Dr. Bangqin Huang and Weidong Guo of Xiamen University for providing DOC and chlorophyll a data. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their detailed comments and suggestions on this study.

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China

    Yuling Wu, Xinhong Wang, Yongyu Li, Miaolei Ya, Hui Luo & Huasheng Hong

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  1. Yuling Wu
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  2. Xinhong Wang
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  3. Yongyu Li
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Correspondence to Xinhong Wang.

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Wu, Y., Wang, X., Li, Y. et al. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, organochlorine pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water from the Jiulong River Estuary, China: levels, distributions, influencing factors, and risk assessment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 8933–8945 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4782-2

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