Long-term persistence of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in air, soil and sediment around an abandoned pentachlorophenol factory in China

Abstract

a b s t r a c tAir, soils and sediments surrounding an abandoned pentachlorophenol (PCP) factory were sampled to determine the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), unintentionally formed during PCP production. The mean concentration of PCDD/Fs in ambient air was one order of magnitude higher than that of the reference site. A trend of decreasing concentrations with increasing distance from the factory was observed, suggesting this site has a significant influence on the regional ambient air. As for soil samples collected within 3 km from the factory and sediment samples from the adjacent rivers, high levels of contamination were found with WHO-TEQ concentrations of 193 AE 211 pg/ g and 667 AE 978 pg/g, respectively. The PCDD/F homologue profiles of all samples were consistent with those found in the technical product of PCP, with OCDD as the dominant congener. These results indicate PCDD/Fs in the historical contaminated site pose a long-term impact on surrounding environment.

Long-time monitoring of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans over a decade in the ambient air of Porto, Portugal

“…The ambient air PCDD/PCDF concentrations can vary widely depending on the type of area investigated and on the presence of different emission sources, such as combustion activities (e.g., municipal waste incineration, hospital waste incineration, wood burning, forest fires), vehicle exhaust, metal smelting and processing sources, chemical manufacturing, biological and photochemical processes, and reservoir sources (soils, sediments, and treated wood) (O'Keefe et al, 1994;Kjeller and Rappe, 1995;Caserini and Monguzzi, 2002;McKay, 2002;Gullett and Touati, 2003;Lee et al, 2004;Tame et al, 2007;Hsu et al, 2011;Li et al, 2012). After the PCDD/PCDF release into the atmosphere the compounds are dispersed throughout the environment matrices (e.g., soil and/or waters) by atmospheric transport.…”

Theoretical study on endocrine disrupting effects of polychlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxins using molecular docking simulation

“…Polychlorinated dibenzo‐ p ‐dioxins (PCDDs) are a group of highly hazardous chemical compounds that are produced during the incineration of municipal and medical wastes and as by‐products of certain industrial processes (Czuczwa & Hites, 1984; Kumagai, Koda, & Oda, 2003; Li et al, 2012). They are also released into the environment during volcanic eruptions and forest fires (Prange, Gaus, Weber, Papke, & Muller, 2003).…”

Evaluation of atmospheric concentrations of dl-PCBs comparing to PCDD/F compounds in Istanbul, Turkey

“…For example, iron sintering (Liu et al, 2013b) and metal production processes cause the formation and emission of PCDD/Fs as well as dl-PCBs (Ba et al, 2009a,b). Studies have shown that atmospheric concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs at industrial (Li et al, 2012;Die et al, 2015) and urban (Deng et al, 2011;Li et al, 2014) areas are higher than those at rural areas (Thuan et al, 2013;Shih et al, 2006).…”