Persistent organic pollutants in environment of the Pearl River Delta, China: an overview

Abstract

In the Pearl River Delta of China, the rapidly developing industrial and agricultural activities, municipal development and use of chemicals caused serious environmental problems. This report summarizes the published scientific data on POPs in the environment of the Pearl River Delta, including the levels of POPs in the air, water, soil, river and estuarine sediments, the marine organisms like fish and shellfish in this region. The data preliminarily reveal the state of contamination in this region and give insight into the fate of POPs in this sub-tropical area. However, most research in this area is limited to a few kinds of POP compounds.