Affiliations: Biology Department, Shantou University, Shantou
515063, China | Department of Biology and Environmental Science,
University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QJ, UK
Abstract: An intensive investigation was conducted to study the distribution
of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), to show firstly the level of
pollution in the agricultural areas and analyses specifically the status of
soil polluted by these persistent pollutants in some locations of Xiamen
region. Soil samples collected from Jiulong agricultural catchment have been
analysed for 16 PAH compounds, using gas chromatography flame ionization
detection in order to determine the level of selected PAH components and to
identify the factors that may control their distribution and persistence in the
area. The main PAHs found in soil samples were the low molecular weight. The
total PAHs detected in soil samples ranged from 0.50 to 0.95μg/g soil. The
highest values of PAHs were significantly detected in the orange tree leaves,
which range from 236.1 to 249.3μg/g soil showing recent atmospheric inputs
of these volatile pollutants. The distribution of PAHs in vegetable were
monitored and indicating that the concentration were high and ranged from 8.24
to 58.87μg/g. Other sediment samples were also collected and analysed from
urban sewage (5.26μg/g dw), aquacultura (0.52μg/g dw) and industrial
areas (from 0.62 to 2.09μg/g dw), during this investigation. The
contamination of Jiulong river estuary and Xiamen Western Sea by PAHs has been
then widely justified by wastewater discharges and soil runoffs from these
areas. The results, therefore, provide important information on the current
contamination status caused by the atmospheric transport and point to the need
for urgent actions to stop the release of these hydrocarbons to the
environment. The necessity of implementing systematic monitoring of PAHs is
also emphasized.
Keywords: PAHs, soil, Jiulong River Estuary, Xiamen Western Sea
