[Altitudinal Gradient Distribution and Source Analysis of PAHs Content of Topsoil in Jinfo Mountain, Chongqing]

Huan Jing Ke Xue. 2015 Apr;36(4):1417-24.
[Article in Chinese]

Abstract

The condensation effect has made high mountains the storage vault of durable organic pollutants. This research measured the content and constitutes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 10 topsoil samples collected at different altitudes from the south slope of Chongqing Jinfo Mountain by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC/MC). And the pollution source of PAHs was analyzed by ratio method and principal component regression. The ecological risk of PAHs was evaluated using BaP toxic equivlants (TEQ(BaP)) The results showed that the concentrations of 16 priority PAHs in topsoil ranged from 240-2 121 ng x g(-1). The average value of PAHs was 849 ng x g(-1), and 2 to 3-ring PAHs were the dominant compounds. The concentrations of 7 carcinogenic PAHs accounted for 17.8% of total PAHs averagely. In the research area, various-ring PAHs and gross PAHs increased with the rise of altitude. The increase of low-ring PAHs was most obvious, and the volatility of high-ring PAHs was relatively high. But the ratio of different-ring PAHs in gross PAHs showed no regularity with the rise of altitude. The PAHs of soil in the research area mainly came from the oil sources, oil products, and combustion sources of coal and biomass. In the research area, the soil has been polluted to a certain extent, but the toxicity risk is relatively low.

MeSH terms

  • Altitude*
  • Biomass
  • China
  • Coal
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / analysis*
  • Soil / chemistry*
  • Soil Pollutants / analysis*

Substances

  • Coal
  • Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
  • Soil
  • Soil Pollutants