Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Urban Stream Sediments from Suzhou Industrial Park in China: Occurrence and Potential Risk

Abstract

The concentration, spatial distribution, homologue profiles, sources, toxicity and risk of PCBs in urban stream sediments from a national eco-industrial park named Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) in China were investigated in this work. Concentrations of ∑PCBs varied from 0.13 to 4.7 ng g -1 , with an average value of 1.7±1.2 ng g -1 . Spatial variations indicated that PCB concentrations had no correlation with land uses in the SIP. Tetra-PCBs and hexa-PCBs were the most abundant PCB homologues, which were different from those found in Chinese commercial PCBs and might be mainly derived from other sources. The potential toxicity and risk of PCBs here might be negligible based on the total equivalent concentration (TEQ) analysis and sediment quality guidelines (SQG).