Tidal river sediments in the Washington,D.C. area. II. Distribution and sources of organic contaminants

Concentration of aliphatic, aromatic, and chlorinated hydrocarbons were determined from 33 surface-sediment samples taken from the Tidal Basin, Washington Ship Channel, and the Anacostia and Potomac rivers in Washington, D.C. In conjunction with these samples, selected storm sewers and outfalls also were sampled to help elucidate general sources of contamination to the area. All of the sediments contained detectable concentrations of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, DDT (total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene), DDD (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane), PCBs (total polychlorinated biphenyls) and total chlordanes (oxy-, α-, and γ-chlordane and cis + trans-nonachlor). Sediment concentrations of most contaminants were highest in the Anacostia River just downstream of the Washington Navy Yard, except for total chlordane, which appeared to have upstream sources in addition to storm and combined sewer runoff. This area has the highest number of storm and combined sewer outfalls in the river. Potomac River stations had lower concentrations than other stations. Total hydrocarbons (THC), normalized to the fine-grain fraction (clay + silt, < 63 μm), ranged from 120 μg g^?1 to, 1,900 μg g^?1 fine-grain sediment. The hydrocarbons were dominated by the unresolved complex mixture (UCM), with total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations ranging from 4 μg g^?1 to 33 μg g^?1 fine-grain sediment. Alkyl-substituted compounds (e.g., C1 to C4 methyl groups) of naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrere + anthracene, and chrysene series dominated the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, saturated hydrocarbons, and the unresolved complex mixture (UCM) distributions reflect mixtures of combustion products (i.e., pyrogenic sources) and direct discharges of petroleum products. Total PCB concentrations ranged from 0.075 μg g^?1 to 2.6 μg g^?1 fine-grain sediment, with highest concentrations in the Anacostia River. Four to six C1-substituted biphenyls were the most-prevalent PCBs. Variability in the PCB distribution was observed in different sampling areas, reflecting, differing proportion of Arochlor inputs and degradation. The concentration of all contaminants was generally higher in sediments closer to known sewer outfalls, with concentrations of total hydrocarbon, PAHs, and PCBs as high as 6,900 μg g^?1, 620 μg g^?1, and 20 μg g^?1 fine-grain sediment, respectively. Highest PCB concentrations were found in two outfalls that drain into the Tidal Basin. Concentrations of organic contaminants from sewers draining to the Washington Ship Channel and Anacostia River had higher concentrations than sediments of the mid-channel or river. Sources of PCBs appear to be related to specific outfalls, while hydrocarbon inputs, especially PAHs, are diffuse, and may be related to street runoff. Whereas most point-source contaninant inputs have been regulated, the importance of nonpoint source inputs must be assessed for their potential addition of contaminants to aquatic ecosystems. This study indicates that in large urban areas, nonpoint sources deliver substantial amounts of contaminants to ecosystems through storm and combined sewer systems, and control of these inputs must be addressed.     

Development of a thermal desorption method for the analysis of particle associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air

An investigation for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in airborne particulates using thermal desorption and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is described. Samples are obtained from ambient air using fibreglass filters and the volatile material from the filter is thermally desorbed to gas chromatograph. A 30 meter capillary column is used to separate the hydrocarbons and eight polyaromatic hydrocarbons are used to test the method and recovery is >95%. The eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthrene, pyrene, benzo (a) anthracene, chrysene, benzo (a) pyrene and benzo (e) pyrene were the most abundant PAHs found in the samples of ambient air with current method at Uxbridge-London. Application of the measurement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air samples shows that the hydrocarbons trapped in the particle phase to a lesser degree at higher ambient temperature. In conclusion a method has been developed to transfer the PAHs in particle phase from a filter to GC-MS by thermal desorption. A standard mixture of PAHs, when absorbed onto the filter, did lead to strong analyte absorbent interactions by the high percent recovery of the sample.     

大气干湿沉降: 地下河多环芳烃的重要来源——以广西清水泉地下河为例

为证实大气干湿沉降物是岩溶地下河中多环芳烃(PAHs)的来源,研究选择了某城市典型的岩溶地下河水源地作为研究地点,采用大气干湿采样器、聚氨酯泡沫(PUF)大气被动采样器分别采集大气及其干湿沉降物样品,同时采集地下河水样和分层采集流域土壤,利用气相色谱-质谱联用仪(GC-MS)测定了16种PAHs优先控制污染物。结果表明,地下河流域大气干湿沉降中PAHs的干湿沉降通量为147.26 ng·(m2·d)-1,流域PAHs沉降量为1943.8 g;大气中的PAHs浓度为45.33 ng·m-3;地下河水中PAHs浓度平均值为220.98 ng·L-1;土壤中PAHs浓度为38.72 ng·g-1;大气、降雨和土壤中PAHs组成以2~3环的萘、芴、菲、荧蒽、芘5种为主,地下河水中以芴、菲、荧蒽、芘、苯并[a]蒽、苯并[a]芘6种为主。利用地下河多介质中的16种PAHs成分谱、特征比值结合它们的物理化学性质进行PAHs的源解析,研究显示大气干湿沉降是岩溶地下河水中多环芳烃的主要污染源之一,这归因于岩溶地区防污性能的脆弱性。     

Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon by a halotolerant bacterial consortium isolated from marine environment

The biodegradability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as naphthalene, fluorene, anthracene and phenanthrene by a halotolerant bacterial consortium isolated from marine environment was investigated. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degrading bacterial consortium was enriched from mixture saline water samples collected from Chennai (Port of Chennai, salt pan), India. The consortium potently degraded polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (> 95%) at 30g/L of sodium chloride concentration in 4 days. The consortium was able to degrade 39 to 45% of different polycyclic hydrocarbons at 60 g/L NaCl concentration. Due to increase in salinity, the percent degradation decreased. To enhance polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degradation, yeast extract was added as an additional substrate at 60g/L NaCl concentration. After the addition of yeast extract, the consortium degraded > 74 % of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at 60 g/L NaCl concentration in 4 days. The consortium was also able to degrade PAHs at different concentrations (5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 ppm) with 30 g/L of NaCl concentration. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degrading halotolerant bacterial consortium consists of three bacterial strains, namely Ochrobactrum sp., Enterobacter cloacae and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Xuzhou urban street dust: concentration and sources

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous organic pollutants in urban environments and are considered as the priority pollutants. The main objectives of this study were (1) to assess the contamination extent of 16 PAHs compounds in urban street dust and (2) to identify the anthropogenic sources of contamination. Forty-nine samples were analysed for 16 PAHs by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Results showed that total PAHs concentrations varied from 2174 to 24,499 ng/g with an average value of 6616 ng/g. Total PAHs concentrations showed a significant correlation with the total organic carbon (TOC) content (r = 0.599, p < 0.0001), suggesting likely that TOC can influence the distribution of PAHs in Xuzhou street dust. Source identification indices suggested that the primary source of PAHs was automobile exhausts. A factor analysis was performed, and three factors were extracted from the available dataset, explaining a total variance of approximately 84.7%. Results from the factor analysis could be indicative of PAHs with different origins.     

Solubilization of hydrocarbons by the dissolved organic matter in sea water

Water samples from Narragansett Bay and the Providence River, and fulvic acid/ saline water solutions were examined for their ability to solubilize n-alkane (n-C₁₆ and n-C₂₀), isoprenoid (pristane) and aromatic (phenanthrene and anthracene) hydrocarbons and dibutyl phthalate. Removal of the dissolved organic matter (D.O.M.) from the natural samples by activated charcoal and by ultra-violet oxidation resulted in a 50–99 per cent decrease in the amounts of n-alkanes and isoprenoid hydrocarbons solubilized. This decrease was directly related to the amount of D.O.M. removed. The solubilities of the aromatic hydrocarbons were unaffected by the D.O.M. Fulvic acid from a marine sediment, surface active organic material isolated at a chloroform/sea water interface, organic material extracted from a marine sediment by sea water, and organic matter contributed by a municipal sewage effluent, promote n-alkane solubility when added to NaCl solutions and re-enhance solubility when added to organic depleted sea water. The solubility of No. 2 fuel oil increased 2.5 times in the presence of fulvic acid (3.7 mg C/l.) with most of the increase seen in the alkane and isoprenoid components.N-Alkane solubility increases in fulvic acid/saline water solutions with increasing pH and reaches a maximum with respect to ionic strength at I = 0.3. There is evidence to suggest that the mode of solubilization of the hydrocarbons is by incorporation into micelles formed by intermolecular association of the surface active humic-type monomers. The presence of ionic species is a prerequisite for micelle formation.     

Impact of coal tar pavement on polycyclic hydrocarbon distribution in lacustrine sediments from non-traditional sources

The evaluation of potential environmental impacts from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is a subject that requires investigation, especially related to emission sources from highway roads with high traffic. In this paper, the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was investigated in the surface sediments from a subtropical lake, located in the south of Brazil and away from urban areas. The results showed that all sediments presented such compounds in significant concentration, ranging from 9.50 to 29.88???g/g. The highest total concentration was found in those sites close to the highway (bridges) and the deepest area of the lake. Moreover, a high concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of high molecular weight, such as benzo(a)anthracene and dibenzo(a,h)anthracene was found. It was laso found that high concentrations might be related to asphalt and coal tar pavement used in the highway construction close to the lake. In addition, the potential capacity of sediment toxicity was compared with values of the interim sediment quality guidelines values. The results indicate that most of the sediment presents concentrations of hydrocarbons above these limits. Only fluoranthene and chrysene were found in concentrations below the guideline values. The concentrations of most of the polycyclic hydrocarbons are higher than the quality guidelines. However, the main concern is associated with the presence of benzo(a)anthracene whose concentration is 416 times higher than the limit establisehed by guidelines. The same observation can be done to traces of benzo(a)pyrene and dibenz(a,h)anthracene, with concentration values of 13 and 1,993 times higher.     

Pollution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） in oily sludge from the Zhongyuan Oilfield and its peripheral soils

The purpose of this study is to determine the degree of contamination caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in oily sludge and soils around it in the Zhongyuan Oilfield. The contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in oily sludge samples were determined with HPLC. The contents of PAHs of oily sludge from three different oil production plants vary from high to low in the order of the Wenming oily sludge dumping site of No. 3 Oil Production Plant (3W)>the Mazhai oily sludge dumping site of No. 3 Oil Production Plant (3M)>the Wen’er oily sludge dumping site of No. 4 Oil Production Plant (4W). Naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorine and phenanthrene are the major pollutants of PAHs in oily sludge. The contents of PAHs in soil samples around the oily sludge dumping sites vary widely from 434.49 to 2408.8 ng/g. Naphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorine, phenanthrene and pyrene are the characteristic factors of PAHs in soil samples of 3M and 3W, and naphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorine and phenanthrene are the characteristic factors of PAHs in soil samples of 4W. According to these data and the ratios of Fl/Py, PAHs in oily sludge samples come mainly from petrogenic sources, and soil samples are divided into petrogenic soil samples and mixed-source soil samples, and both petrogenic and pyrogenic soil samples in terms of the sources of PAHs. The classification by Nemero index P indicates that soils around the oily sludge dumping sites have been seriously polluted.     

水中多环芳烃前处理过程中的污染来源及去除方法

实验设备、耗材等物品以及实验室环境中都有可能存在一定浓度的多环芳烃,造成样品在前处理过程中可能受到污染,从而影响多环芳烃测定结果的准确性。文章系统地研究了水样分析中萘、苊、芴、菲、蒽等多环芳烃污染物的引入和去除方法。在排除了数据处理和仪器测试的原因后,确认污染来自于样品前处理过程。对容器污染、试剂干扰、前处理间环境污染和氮吹浓缩系统等因素的排查结果表明,氮吹浓缩系统是主要的污染源。进一步实验证实,氮气、减压阀以及连接管线等均可造成多环芳烃污染。通过采取更换氮气、减压阀和连接管线的措施,并将氮气通过活性炭柱,能够有效地去除这些污染。实验设计了装有活性炭的玻璃柱装置,可以有效去除存在的萘等多环芳烃物质的污染;但专用减压阀避免多环芳烃污染的效果验证、氮气中多环芳烃污染物的来源确认以及多环芳烃污染去除装置的优化改进等问题还有待于进一步研究。     

Hydrocarbons in western North Atlantic surface sediments

High concentrations of hydrocarbons (500–3000 μg/g dry weight) together with a complex and wide molecular weight range of composition, and low ¹⁴C activity of δ¹⁴C = ?833 ± 50%. strongly indicate that fossil fuel hydrocarbons make up the bulk of hydrocarbons in and near the New York Bight dump site areas. The composition and concentrations of hydrocarbons in Hudson Channel sediments suggest some transport of dump site hydrocarbons to areas in the channel midway to the edge of the continental shelf. Sediments at 16 stations in other areas of the continental shelf, continental slope and abyssal plain have hydrocarbon concentrations and compositions indicating that no more than 1 μg/g dry weight of fossil fuel hydrocarbons are present.N-alkanes from land sources were among the most predominant hydrocarbons in all samples except those in the New York Bight region. Their presence in abyssal plain surface sediments documents transport of some land derived organic matter to these deep ocean areas. Two 25-carbon cycloalkenes are among the more predominant hydrocarbons in continental shelf surface sediments except for the dump site areas. These two compounds are present in lower concentrations in slope sediments and are not detected in abyssal plain sediments.     

Source identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of a creek around a flow station

Sources of the sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the United States Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutants list were determined in sediments of Kolo Creek using diagnostic ratios of parent PAHs[phenanthrene/phenanthrene + anthracene; fluoranthene/fluoranthene + pyrene; benz(a) anthracene/benz(a) anthracene + chrysene and indeno(1,2,3-d)pyrene/indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene + benzo(ghi)pyrelene]. The study was conducted over four seasons (dry, late dry, rainy and late rainy seasons). Applying cross plots of the diagnostic ratios revealed that PAHs in Kolo Creek sediment have pyrogenic origins except in the rainy season that had petrogenic origins. Comparison of diagnostic ratio values obtained from this study with literature values enabled the further classification into types of pyrogenic and/or petrogenic sources. While the pyrogenic sources of PAHs were mainly as a result of Grass/Wood combustion, the petrogenic PAHs were as result of drained diesel and lubricating oil. The predicted sources corresponded with the prevailing human activities in the vicinity, especially samples collected near a petrol station and an abattoir. This study further affirms the simplicity and accuracy of the use of diagnostic ratios for PAHs source prediction.     

Investigation of microrubbers,microplastics and heavy metals in street dust: a study in Bushehr city,Iran

This study aimed to (1) investigate microrubbers (MRs) for the first time and identify microplastics (MPs) in street dust, (2) determine the physicochemical and mineralogical characteristics and morphology of dust particles, (3) understand the concentration and the possible source(s) of heavy metals/metalloids, (4) identify the chemical speciation and mobility potential of trace metals in urban street dusts, and (5) determine adverse health effects of street dust on children and adults living in the city of Bushehr in southwestern Iran. Generally, twenty four street dust samples were collected and analyzed. Calculated enrichment factors indicate high levels of contamination. Statistical analysis reveals that the two main sources of trace elements include road traffic emissions (Cu, Zn, Sb, Hg, Pb, Mo) and re-suspended soil particles (Al, Mn, Ni, Ti, Cd, Co). BCR sequential extraction results indicated that As, Zn, Cu, and Pb mainly occur in the exchangeable fraction and hence are highly bioavailable. X-ray powder diffraction analysis revealed the presence of calcite, dolomite, quartz, and magnetite. The size distribution of dust particles was also investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), while elemental distribution was analyzed using an attached energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM–EDS) unit. Dust particles from heavy traffic areas are much finer compared with other investigated areas. MPs and MRs, mostly fibers and fragments, were detected in all samples [ranging from 210 to 1658 (MPs) and 44 to 782 (MRs) items/10 g dust] using fluorescence microscopy. The hazard index for As is higher than 10^?4 for children and adults indicative of high risk. According to the calculated potential ecological risk index, Hg indicated moderate ecological risk in the street dust of the study area.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the soils of technogenic landscapes

An integrated study of qualitative and quantitative composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the atmospheric precipitation-soil-lysimetric water system of aerotechnogenic polluted landscapes was conducted using high-performance liquid chromatography in a gradient mode. Only low-molecular weight polyarenes (phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, and chrysene) were found in the atmospheric precipitation and lysimetric waters. The growth of PAHs in soils is provided by the input of phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene with atmospheric precipitation. The absence of heavy PAHs (benzfluoranthenes, benz(a)pyrene, dibenz(a,h)anthracene, benz(ghi) perylene, and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene) in the atmospheric precipitation and their identification in soil give grounds to state that their accumulation was caused mainly by transformation of organic matter during pedogenesis. The technogenic impact was estimated and criterion of the degree of soil pollution by PAH was proposed.     

Multivariate analysis of heavy metal pollution in street dusts of Xianyang city, NW China

Urban street dust is one of important indicators of the status of urban environmental pollution. There are many studies in capital cities, but little attention has been paid to this kind of study in medium cities, especially in China. The dust samples were collected in the district of traffic crossroads in Xianyang city, Shaanxi Province. Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr and Mn concentrations were determined by using atomic absorption spectrometry. The results indicate that street dusts in Xianyang city have elevated metal concentrations as a whole in comparison with Shaanxi Province soil, except for Mn. The content of heavy metals was comparable to those in capital cities. Correlation coefficient analysis, principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used and three main sources were identified; Mn comes mainly from soil sources; Cu, Zn and Ni are mainly derived from industrial sources combined with traffic sources; Pb, Cr and Cd have traffic sources. Heavy metal enrichment factors were calculated, which can reflect human influence degree of street dusts.     

Flotation of galena. Influence of grain size,of pulp deoxygenation,and of cleaning with ammonium acetate

The flotation of < 10, 10–20, and 20–40 μm galena fractions was studied. For uncleaned galena a given collector coverage produced better floatability with increasing grain size. Nitrogen had a detrimental effect only for the < 10 μm fraction, producing at a given collector coverage a recovery smaller than that obtained with air.Galena cleaned with 400 g/l ammonium acetate had very poor floatability, although xanthate abstraction was fairly high; this confirms that strong xanthate adsorption is necessary for flotation. Formation of monothiocarbonate was small in all cases, which points to a very minor influence, if any, of this compound in the flotation process.In blank flotation tests, or for very low residual xanthate concentrations, a peak at 208 nm and a shoulder at 255 nm were observed. The former was assigned to the uncomplexed Pb²⁺ ion, and the latter was tentatively attributed to the PbOH⁺ ion.Lead in solution results from dissolution of the oxidation products of galena, as galena itself has an exceedingly low solubility. The curve for total lead in solution vs. initial xanthate concentration, had a minimum for an initial xanthate concentration of 10^?5M, the further increase in dissolved lead is attributed to formation of complexes such as PbX⁺ (X = xanthate). Dissolved lead concentrations were nearly as high for cleaned as for uncleaned galena, which indicates a high oxidation rate of the mineral.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Recent lake sediments—I. Compounds having anthropogenic origins

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in sediment cores from Lake Lucerne, Lake Zürich, and Greifensee, Switzerland, and Lake Washington, northwest U.S.A., have been isolated, identified and quantified by glass capillary gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Surface sediment layers are greatly enriched in PAH—up to 40 times—compared to deeper layers. In addition, concentration increases in upper sediments generally correspond to increasing industrialization and urbanization in the catchment basins of the lakes. Few PAH could be detected in pre-industrial revolution sediments, indicating that background levels for most PAH in aquatic sediments are extremely low.These results are consistent with an anthropogenic source for most of the aromatic hydrocarbons present in the modern sediments. A comparison of PAH distributions in the sediments and in possible source materials shows that urban runoff of street dust may be the most important PAH input to these lacustrine sediments. There is evidence that a significant contribution to the PAH content of street dust comes from material associated with asphalt.     

Gaseous mercury emissions from urban surfaces: Controls and spatiotemporal trends

The spatial and temporal variability of Hg emissions from urban paved surfaces was assessed through repeated measurements under varying environmental conditions at six sample sites in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The results show significant spatial variability of the Hg emissions with median values ranging from below detection limit to 5.2 ng/m²/h. Two of the sites consistently had higher Hg emissions (on several occasions >20 ng/m²/h) than the other 4, which were equivalently low (maximum emission: 2.1 ng/m²/h). A surrogate measure of the pavement Hg concentrations was obtained during each day of sampling through the collection of street dust. The median street dust concentration also showed significant spatial variability (ranging from 9.6 to 44.5 ng/g). Regression analysis showed that the spatial variability of the Hg emissions was significantly related to the street dust concentrations. Controlled experiments using Hg amended street dust confirmed the relationship between Hg surface concentration and emission magnitude. Within a given sample site, Hg emissions varied temporally and multiple regression analysis showed that within-site variability was significantly influenced by changes in solar radiation with only a minor effect from surface temperature. Controlled experiments using shade cloths confirmed that solar radiation can have a large influence on the magnitude of Hg emissions within a given site. The emissions measured in Toronto were contextualized through comparison sampling in Austin, Texas. The Hg emissions measured in Austin were within the range detected in Toronto and also showed significant correlation with Hg street dust concentrations between sites. To provide a holistic assessment of Hg emissions from urban environments, samples were also collected from other common urban surfaces (soil, roofs, and windows). Soils consistently had higher emissions than all the other surfaces (7.3 ng/m²/h, n = 39).     

Determination of cadmium and lead in human milk

The objectives of this study were to determine cadmium and lead concentrations in the breast milk of healthy lactating women who were living in Zarrinshahr, an industrial area of Iran and to investigate the effect of mother’s age, parity and smoking habits in families living in the vicinity of areas contaminated with heavy metals. Cadmium and lead concentrations were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry in 44 milk samples from healthy lactating women collected on first to sixth postpartum week. Accuracy of the analysis was checked by various methods including the use of reference material. The mean ± standard deviation of cadmium and lead concentrations in human milk were 2.44 ± 1.47 μg/L (range 0.62–6.32 μg/L) and 10.39 ± 4.72 μg/L (range 3.18–24.67 μg/L), respectively. There was a positive correlation between the concentrations of lead in milk samples and mother’s age and parity (P < 0.05). Also the concentration of cadmium in breast milk significantly increased (P < 0.05) in mothers who were actively and/or passively exposed to smoking. The results of this study showed that lead and cadmium concentrations in milk samples from lactating women in Zarrinshahr were high. This can be a major public health hazard for the inhabitants living in this industrial region of Iran.     

Sources and transports of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Nanshan Underground River,China

Karst areas have much higher ecological vulnerability and are easy to be contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are introduced as health risk pollutants. PAHs ratios were used to understand the sources and transport behavior of PAHs conducted in the karst Nanshan Underground River, China. Water, sediments from the underground river and water, sediments, soil from the surface were collected monthly in 2011 and 2012. Abundant PAHs were found both in the underground river and in the surface system. The detected ΣPAHs concentrations varied from 353 to 13,203 ng L^?1 in the groundwaters and content from 169 to 12,038 ng g^?1 in the sediments of the underground river. The ratios of anthracene to anthracene, plus phenanthrene and fluoranthene to fluoranthene, plus pyrene indicated that PAHs were delivered in the groundwaters from combusted grass, wood, and coal, while in the sediments were a mixture of non-combusted petroleum, grass, wood, coal and combusted grass, wood, coal. The similarities in sources between an underground river and surface system indicated that farmlands play a major role for the transport of PAHs and contamination in the underground river. Karst features are liable for the transport behavior.     

Assessment of heavy metal contamination levels of street dust in the city of Lublin,E Poland

Heavy metals are constantly emitted into the environment and pose a major threat to human health, particularly in urban areas. The threat is linked to the presence of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in street dust, which consists of mineral and organic particles originating from the soil, industrial emitters, motor vehicles, and fuel consumption. The study objective was to determine the level of street dust contamination with trace metals in Lublin and to indicate their potential sources of origin. The analyses were carried out with an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The sampling sites (49) were located within the city streets characterised by varying intensity of motor traffic. The following mean content values and their variation (SD) were determined: Cd: 5.1?±?1.7 mg kg^?1, Cr: 86.4?±?23.3 mg kg^?1, Cu: 81.6?±?69.2 mg kg^?1, Ni: 16.5?±?3.9 mg kg^?1, Pb: 44.1?±?16.4 mg kg^?1, and Zn: 241.1?±?94.6 mg kg^?1. The level of pollution was assessed with several widely used geochemical indices (geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor, pollution index, index of ecological risk, and potential ecological risk index). For most of the indices, the mean (median) values are arranged in the following manner: Zn?>?Cu(or Cd)?>?Pb?>?Ni?>?Cr. In general, street dust in Lublin does not show pollution with Cr, Ni, and Pb. I_geo and EF indices show moderate levels for Cu, Cd, and Zn; their presence in street dust is linked with anthropogenic factors (motor traffic). A significant threat is posed by Cd, and more than half of the samples show considerable pollution with cadmium (median for the index of ecological risk: 151). The spatial pattern of indices and the results of statistical analyses (CA, PCA) indicate three groups of elements: (1) Cr and Ni: natural origin; (2) Pb: mixed origin; and (3) Cd, Cu, and Zn: anthropogenic origin (mainly motor vehicle traffic). Higher content values for metals of anthropogenic origin in street dust indicate that it is a source of pollution of soil and air in the city.