Diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) for in situ sampling of selected endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in waters.

A passive water sampler based on the diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) technique was developed and tested for 3 groups of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs, including oestrogens, alkyl-phenols and bisphenols). Three different resins (hydrophilic-lipophilic-balanced (HLB), XAD18 and Strata-XL-A (SXLA)) were investigated for their suitability as the binding phase for DGT devices. Laboratory tests across a range of pH (3.5-9.5), ionic strength (0.001-0.5 M) and dissolved organic matter concentration (0-20 mg L-1) showed HLB and XAD18-DGT devices were more stable compared to SXLA-DGT. HLB-DGT and XAD18-DGT accumulated test chemicals with time consistent with theoretical predictions, while SXLA-DGT accumulated reduced amounts of chemical. DGT performance was also compared in field deployments up to 28 days, alongside conventional active sampling at a wastewater treatment plant. Uptake was linear to the samplers over 18 days, and then began to plateau/decline, indicating the maximum deployment time in those conditions. Concentrations provided by the DGT samplers compared well with those provided by auto-samplers. DGT integrated concentrations over the deployment period in a way that grab-sampling cannot. The advantages of the DGT sampler over active sampling include: low cost, ease of simultaneous multi-site deployment, in situ analyte pre-concentration and reduction of matrix interferences compared with conventional methods. Compared to other passive sampler designs, DGT uptake is independent of flow rate and therefore allows direct derivation of field concentrations from measured compound diffusion coefficients. This passive DGT sampler therefore constitutes a viable and attractive alternative to conventional grab and active water sampling for routine monitoring of selected EDCs.

Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in Chinese forest soil: Will combustion become a major source?

We collected O- and A-horizon soil samples in 26 Chinese mountainous forests to investigate the content, spatial pattern, and potential sources of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs). Spatial patterns were influenced mainly by the approximation to sources and soil organic contents. High concentrations often occurred close to populated or industrialized areas. Combustion-related activities contributed to PCN pollution. Relatively high proportions of CN-73 in northern China may be attributed to coke consumption, while CN-51 could be an indicator of biomass burning in Southwest China. There are evidences that PCNs may largely derived from unintentional production. If uncontrolled, UP-PCN (unintentionally produced PCNs) emissions could increase with industrial development. The abnormally high concentrations at Gongga and Changbai Mountains appear to be associated with the high efficient of forest filter of atmospheric contaminants at these densely forested sites. We question whether this is caused by ecotones between forests, and raise additional questions for future analyses.

Influence of rice growth on the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a subtropical paddy field: a life cycle study.

We measured the concentrations and profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil, water, and rice tissues from a typical subtropical paddy system at various stages of rice growth over two growing seasons. Rice growth had a significant impact on the distribution and dissipation of PAHs in the paddy field. While rice was growing, the concentrations of PAHs in the soils decreased at an average decline rate of 5.3±2.9 ng PAHs g(-1) soild(-1), whereas, the concentrations of PAHs in rice tissues increased with growth time. However, the concentrations of PAHs in the rice leaves decreased during the heading stage of both two growing seasons. PAH profiles in soil, water, and different rice tissues also showed different patterns with the growing time of rice. Irrigation water was a significant source of PAHs to the paddy field. Rice growth enhanced the dissipation and transport of PAHs in the paddy system, while the sewage irrigation and straw burning after harvest added or returned PAHs to the system. For food safety precaution, sewage irrigation and straw burning should be well monitored and controlled.

Assessment of the air-soil partitioning of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a paddy field using a modified fugacity sampler.

Rice, one of the most widely cultivated crops, has received great attention in contaminant uptake from soil and air, especially for the special approaches used for its cultivation. The dry-wet alternation method can influence the air-soil partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in the paddy ecosystem. Here, we modified a fugacity sampler to investigate the air-surface in situ partitioning of ubiquitous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at different growth stages in a suburban paddy field in South China. The canopy of rice can form a closed space, which acts like a chamber that can force the air under the canopy to equilibrate with the field surface. When we compared the fugacities calculated using a fugacity model of the partition coefficients to the measured fugacities, we observed similar trends in the variation, but significantly different values between different growing stages, especially during the flooding stages. However, the measured and calculated fugacity fractions were comparable when uncertainties in our calculations were considered, with the exception of the high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs. The measured fugacity fractions suggested that the HMW PAHs were also closed to equilibrium between the paddy field and atmosphere. The modified fugacity sampler provided a novel way of accurately determining the in situ air-soil partitioning of SVOCs in a wet paddy field.

Forest filter effect versus cold trapping effect on the altitudinal distribution of PCBs: a case study of Mt. Gongga, eastern Tibetan Plateau.

Mountains are observed to preferentially accumulate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) at higher altitude due to the cold condensation effect. Forest soils characterized by high organic carbon are important for terrestrial storage of POPs. To investigate the dominant factor controlling the altitudinal distribution of POPs in mountainous areas, we measured concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in different environmental matrices (soil, moss, and air) from nine elevations on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga, the highest mountain in Sichuan Province on the Tibetan Plateau. The concentrations of 24 measured PCBs ranged from 41 to 510 pg/g dry weight (dw) (mean: 260 pg/g dw) in the O-horizon soil, 280 to 1200 pg/g dw (mean: 740 pg/g dw) in moss, and 33 to 60 pg/m(3) (mean: 47 pg/m(3)) in air. Soil organic carbon was a key determinant explaining 75% of the variation in concentration along the altitudinal gradient. Across all of the sampling sites, the average contribution of the forest filter effect (FFE) was greater than that of the mountain cold trapping effect based on principal components analysis and multiple linear regression. Our results deviate from the thermodynamic theory involving cold condensation at high altitudes of mountain areas and highlight the importance of the FFE.

[Distribution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and black carbon in road dusts from typical cities of China and India].

In order to investigate the distribution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and black carbon (BC) in road dusts in typical cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wuhan in China and Kolcata in India, samples were collected in urban roads during Dec., 2007 to Feb., 2009. The total 16 PAHs concentrations in metro cities from China were 2.30-22.2 microg x g(-1), which was dominated by FLA, PHE, PYR, CHR, BBF and BGP. PAHs contents were in the range of 4.85-30.5 microg x g(-1) in Kolcata from India, which was dominated by NAP. Higher levels of BC in Chinese cities than India city were likely due to different power structures and consumes. The correlation between PAHs and BC showed different characteristics in different city, which might be reflected diverse sources. Diagnostic ratios demonstrated that the main source of PAHs was from the emission of vehicle, and coal combustion is another possible source.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on indoor/outdoor glass window surfaces in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, south China.

Organic films were collected from indoor and outdoor window surfaces in two large cities in southern China, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and analyzed to quantify the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In the glass films, the highest concentration of total PAHs, predominantly phenanthrene, fluorene, fluoranthene, and pyrene, was found to be l400 ng/m(2). The concentrations of PAHs in Guangzhou were usually higher than those in Hong Kong. In general, higher concentrations of PAHs on exterior window films in comparison with interior window films in both cities indicated that the outdoor air acted as a major source of pollution to the indoor environment. However, indoor air was a major source of some light-weight PAHs. Measurements made over time indicated that the growth rates of light-weight PAHs on window surfaces were fast at the beginning and then gradually reached a consistent level, whereas heavy-weight PAHs exhibited near-linear accumulation during the 40 days sampling period.

Accumulating characteristics of platinum group elements (PGE) in urban environments, China.

The three-way catalytic converters [mainly using platinum, palladium and rhodium of platinum group elements (PGE)] have been widely used to reduce the pollution arising from vehicular traffic. Since the late 1990s, the Chinese government has implemented measures for new vehicles, equipped with the three-way catalytic converters in metropolitan cities. However, the PGE spreading on environments has not been strongly concerned in developing countries. This study investigated the accumulation characteristics of PGE in urban environments in China. A few samples from India were also analyzed and compared with those from China. The collected soil, aerosol and plant samples were determined for PGE by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after nickel sulphide fire assay preconcentration. The results have shown higher PGE contents in the samples from the cities where vehicles were fitted with autocatalysts for longer time periods. The highest values are 160 ng/g for Pt, 107 ng/g for Pd and 34.5 ng/g for Rh in Hong Kong soils, whereas the lowest values are 2.59 ng/g for Pt, 1.31 ng/g for Pd and 0.40 ng/g for Rh in Kolkata soils. In Beijing and Guangzhou aerosol samples, the PGE concentrations are 6.22 to 24.3 pg/m(3) for Pt and 1.16 to 8.60 pg/m(3) for Rh and 7.68 to 12.2 pg/m(3) for Pt and 2.15 to 5.15 pg/m(3) for Rh, respectively. The levels of PGE abundances in the urban environments of China have been significantly elevated with increasing number of vehicles equipped with autocatalysts.