Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils in the vicinity of Nanjing, China

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2008-09, Vol.73 (3), p.389-394
• Main Authors: Yin, Chun-Qin, Jiang, Xin, Yang, Xing-Lun, Bian, Yong-Rong, Wang, Fang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: agricultural soils; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; China; Distribution; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; horticultural soils; PAHs; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Compounds - analysis; Soil contamination; Soil Pollutants - analysis; soil pollution; Source; Terrestrial environment, soil, air; vegetable growing; Vegetable soil; vegetable soils
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.05.041

The occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in vegetable soils from five vegetable fields (including: Liuhe, Xixia, Pukou, Jianye and Yuhua districts) in Nanjing outskirt were investigated with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with fluorescence detector. The total concentrations of 15 priority PAHs in 126 soil samples ranged from 21.91 to 533.84 ng g −1 dry weight, and the sum of seven carcinogenic PAHs concentrations varied from 1.48 to 236.19 ng g −1 dry weight. Statistical analysis of the PAHs concentrations showed that the highest PAHs concentration was observed in Liuhe, and the lowest PAHs concentrations were found in Xixia among the five districts. The ratios of fluoranthene to sum of fluoranthene and pyrene concentrations (Flt/(Flt + Pyr)) were more than 0.5 in 99% of vegetable soil samples, showing that the PAHs in soils were generally derived from straw and coal combustion sources. The results from principal component analysis (PCA) further indicated that extensive combustion activities affected the PAHs distribution in Nanjing vegetable soils.