scholarly journals Residues of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Agricultural Soils Adjacent to Historical Sources of Their Storage and Distribution—The Case Study of Azerbaijan

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Ukalska-Jaruga ◽  
Karolina Lewińska ◽  
Elton Mammadov ◽  
Anna Karczewska ◽  
Bożena Smreczak ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to identify and examine the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil collected from the surroundings of historical pesticide storage facilities on former agricultural aerodromes, warehouses, and pesticide distribution sites located in the most important agricultural regions in Azerbaijan. The conducted research included determination of three groups of POPs (occurring together), in the natural soil environment influenced for many years by abiotic and biotic factors that could have caused their transformations or decomposition. In this study, soil samples were collected in 21 georeferenced points located in the administrative area of Bilasuvar, Saatly, Sabirabad, Salyan and Jalilabad districts of Azerbaijan. Soil chemical analysis involved determination of organochlorine compounds (OCP): hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) (three isomers α-HCH, β-HCH and γ-HCH) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) (six congeners 2,4′DDT; 4,4′DDT; 2,4′DDE; 4,4′DDE; 2,4′DDE; and 4,4′DDE); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): 16 compounds from the United States Environmental Protection Agency US EPA list and, PCBs (seven congeners identified with the following IUPAC numbers: 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180). Our research showed that OCPs reached the highest concentration in the studied areas. The total concentrations of OCPs ranged from 0.01 to 21,888 mg∙kg−1 with significantly higher concentrations of Σ6DDTs (0.01 μg kg−1 to 21880 mg kg−1) compared to ΣHCH (0.14 ng kg−1 to 166.72 µg kg−1). The total concentrations of PCBs in the studied soils was varied from 0.02 to 147.30 μg·kg−1 but only PCB138 and PCB180 were detected in all analyzed samples. The concentrations of Σ16 PAHs were also strongly diversified throughout the sampling areas and ranged from 0.15 to 16,026 mg kg−1. The obtained results confirmed that the agricultural soils of Azerbaijan contained much lower (up to by three orders of magnitude) concentrations of PCBs and PAHs than DDT. It is supported by the fact that PCBs and PAHs were not directly used by agriculture sector and their content results from secondary sources, such as combustion and various industrial processes. Moreover, the high concentrations of PAHs in studied soils were associated with their location in direct neighborhood of the airport, as well as with accumulation of contaminants from dispersed sources and long range transport. The high concentrations of pesticides confirm that deposition of parent OCPs have occurred from obsolete pesticide landfills.

Author(s):  
Rodrigo Mundo ◽  
Tetsuya Matsunaka ◽  
Hisanori Iwai ◽  
Shouzo Ogiso ◽  
Nobuo Suzuki ◽  
...  

To improve the understanding of the emission sources and pathways of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the coastal environments of remote areas, their particulate and dissolved concentrations were analyzed on a monthly basis from 2015 to 2018 in surface waters of Nanao Bay, Japan. The concentration of the targeted 13 species of PAHs on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) priority pollutant list in dissolved and particle phases were separately analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to a fluorescence detector. Particulate and dissolved PAHs had average concentrations of 0.72 ng∙L−1 and 0.95 ng∙L−1, respectively. While most of the samples were lower than 1 ng∙L−1, abnormally high levels up to 10 ng∙L−1 were observed in the winter of 2017–2018 for particulate PAHs. Based on the isomer ratios of Flu to Flu plus Pyr, it was possible to determine that the pyrogenic loads were greater than the petrogenic loads in all but four out of 86 samples. The predominant environmental pathway for PAHs in winter was determined to be long-range atmospheric transportation fed by the East Asian winter monsoon, while for the summer, local sources were more relevant. By the risk quotients method, it was determined that PAHs in surface seawater presented a very low risk to marine life during the interannual survey.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 74-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kuang ◽  
Y. Su ◽  
J. Zhang ◽  
Z. Song ◽  
H. Wang ◽  
...  

The concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) priority pollutant list, were studied in ten different soil samples from Shengli Oil Field, China. The total PAHs concentrations in the sampled soils attained 1214.9–2965.1 ng/g (2159.6 ng/g on average). The highest total PAHs concentration was in the soil with a huge content of oil sludge, while the lowest was in fine soil environment areas. The soil contamination with PAHs in the study areas was classified as severe. The major pollutants were naphthalene, phenathrene, fluorine (Flu), pyrene (Pyr), while the detected concentration of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), benzo(b)fluoranthene was relatively low. Among the 16 kinds of PAHs, the concentration increased in the order: 6 rings < 5 rings < 4 rings < 2 rings < 3 rings. The ratios of Flu/(Flu + Pyr) and indeno benzene(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene (IP)/(IP + BaP) were 0.46–0.48, and 0.36–0.64, respectively. Our results suggest that the main sources of PAHs were petroleum extraction and petroleum combustion. In addition, a small amount of PAHs originated from combustion of grass, woods, and coal.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 531-543
Author(s):  
Pedro José Sanches Filho ◽  
Julia Arduim ◽  
Glauco Rasmussen Betemps ◽  
Gabriela Oliveira Andrade ◽  
Ricardo Correa da Silva da Silva

This study evaluates the presence and levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Achyrocline Satureioides (inflorescences and infusions) using extraction under ultrasound accompanied by clean up with solid phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Sixteen priority PAHs were listed as priority contaminants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and PAHs (Benzo(a)Anthracene, Chrysene, Benzo(b)Fluoranthene, Benzo(a)Pyrene) were chosen as indicators by the European Food Safety Agency for the presence of PAHs in food. The HPAs concentrations ranged from 48.1 µg Kg-1 ± 1.4% to 48.8 µg Kg-1 ± 1.9% in Achyrocline Satureioides inflorescences. The total concentration in infusions of PAHs was 2.5 µg L-1 ± 6.3%. The sum of the priority PAHs in Achyrocline Satureioides samples ranged from 126.8 µg Kg-1 ± 13.6% and 218.9 µg Kg-1 ± 16.1% and infusion had a value of 10.0 µg L-1 ± 8.1%. The PAH concentrations in tea infusions are lower when compared with other food matrices, but the migration of these compounds for tea is high, resulting in levels that may cause damage to health.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalila Serpa ◽  
Ana I. Machado ◽  
Martha Santos ◽  
Isabel Campos ◽  
Bruna R. F. Oliveira ◽  
...  

<p>Wildfires constitute a diffuse source of contamination to aquatic ecosystems. In burnt areas, the increase in surface runoff and associated sediment losses after fire, promotes the mobilization of hazardous substances, such as metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), posing a risk for the adjacent water bodies. In the present study, post-fire metals and PAHs export by surface runoff was evaluated in 16 m<sup>2 </sup>bounded plots in a eucalypt stand in Albergaria-a-Velha (Aveiro district, North-Central Portugal) burnt in September 2019. Runoff samples were collected on a weekly to bi-weekly basis, depending on the occurrence of rainfall, during the first 6 months after fire. The metals analyzed in this study were, vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). As for PAHs, the analyses focused on the 16 compounds classified as priority pollutants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Both dissolved and particulate fractions of metals and PAHs in runoff waters were analysed in this work. Preliminary results suggest that metals are more likely to affect the water quality of fire-affected water bodies than PAHs, since low levels of PAHs were found in runoff waters. This work provides valuable information for water managers to minimize the risks of wildfires both to the environment and to public health.</p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 1601-1616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel R Gratz ◽  
Laura A Ciolino ◽  
Angela S Mohrhaus ◽  
Bryan M Gamble ◽  
Jill M Gracie ◽  
...  

Abstract A rapid, sensitive, and accurate method for the screening and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in edible seafood is described. The method uses quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS)-based extraction and HPLC with fluorescence detection (FLD). The method was developed and validated in response to the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Rapid and highly sensitive PAH screening methods are critical tools needed for oil spill response; they help to assess when seafood is safe for harvesting and consumption. Sample preparation involves SPE of edible seafood portions with acetonitrile, followed by the addition of salts to induce water partitioning. After centrifugation, a portion of the acetonitrile layer is filtered prior to analysis via HPLC-FLD. The chromatographic method uses a polymeric C18 stationary phase designed for PAH analysis with gradient elution, and it resolves 15 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority parent PAHs in fewer than 20 min. The procedure was validated in three laboratories for the parent PAHs using spike recovery experiments at PAH fortification levels ranging from 25 to 10 000 μg/kg in oysters, shrimp, crab, and finfish, with recoveries ranging from 78 to 99%. Additional validation was conducted for a series of alkylated homologs of naphthalene, dibenzothiophene, and phenanthrene, with recoveries ranging from 87 to 128%. Method accuracy was further assessed based on analysis of National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material 1974b. The method provides method detection limits in the sub to low ppb (μg/kg) range, and practical LOQs in the low ppb (μg/kg) range for most of the PAH compounds studied.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 866-873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel A.O. Adeyeye

Objective: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are well researched chemicals in foods that have been found to exhibit mutagenic and carcinogenic potentials. This study examined available literature on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in foods, sources, effects and remediation. Methods: Available literature on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in foods, sources, effects and remediation was critically reviewed. Results: The review showed that carcinogenicity of PAHs varies from the potent to moderately carcinogenic PAHs which include 3-methylcholanthrene, Benzo[a]pyrene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, 5-methylchrysene, and dibenz[a,j]anthracene, whereas benzo[e]pyrene, dibenz[a,c]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[c]phenanthrene and fluoranthene are relatively weak or inactive carcinogens. Cooking processes have been found to be a major source of PAHs in foods. Although, PAHs can also be formed during curing and processing of raw food prior to cooking, several researchers in recent years have shown that the major dietary sources of PAHs are fish and meat especially where there is high consumption of meat cooked over an open flame. Several procedures and methods have been developed recently to assess and detect PAHs in foods and more recently, bio-monitoring procedures have also been developed to assess human exposure to PAHs. Numerous organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IACR), the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF), the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have been involved in evaluating the occurrence and toxicity of PAHs. Conclusion: Conclusively, taking into consideration the sources of PAHs generation, adequate process and quality control of the processed foods could be a veritable mean to reduce PAHs ingestion in foods.


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