Polychlorinated dibenzo- p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 2,3,7,8-TCDD equivalents (TEQs) in sediment from the Hyeongsan River, Korea

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 132; no. 3; pp. 489 - 501
• Main Authors: Koh, C.-H., Khim, J.S., Kannan, K., Villeneuve, D.L., Senthilkumar, K., Giesy, J.P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; Benzofurans - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon - analysis; Continental surface waters; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Pollutants - analysis; Environmental Pollution - adverse effects; Exact sciences and technology; Fresh water environment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geologic Sediments - analysis; In vitro bioassay; Korea; Natural water pollution; PAHs; PCBs; PCDD/Fs; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analogs & derivatives; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analysis; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; Rivers - chemistry; Sediment; Sewage - adverse effects; Sewage - chemistry; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Water treatment and pollution; Asia; Korea; PCBs; PAHs; Sediment; PCDD/Fs; In vitro bioassay; Dioxin derivatives; Toxicity; Interstitial water; Freshwater environment; Persistent organic pollutant; Enzymatic activity; Chlorine Organic compounds; Stream; Waste water discharge; Organic compounds; Bioassay; Ecotoxicology; Hydrocarbon; Enzyme; Luciferase; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Sediments; Polychlorobiphenyl; Sewage treatment plant; Spatial distribution; Environment impact; Surface water; Toxic equivalency factor; Homologous series; Water pollution; Oxidoreductases; Concentration distribution
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2004.05.001

Sediment, pore water and water samples from the Hyeongsan River, Korea were analyzed for several classes of halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) and their dioxin-like activities were evaluated using the in vitro H4IIE-luc bioassay. Polychlorinated dibenzo- p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and biphenyls (PCBs) were detected in sediments from all six sampling locations with mean concentrations of 2.8 × 10 2 pg/g, 190 pg/g, and 61.4 ng/g, dw, respectively. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were predominated by 4–6 ring compounds with concentrations in the range of 5.30–7680 ng/g, dw. Chemical profiles of target analytes in sediment and water samples revealed that there was a gradient of concentrations along the river from upstream to downstream, which suggested that the primary source was a wastewater reservoir adjacent to a sewage treatment plant (STP). TEQs derived by summing the product of concentrations of individual congeners by their respective relative potencies (REPs or TEFs) ranged from 4.3 × 10 −1 to 1.1 × 10 3 pg/g, dw. Raw Soxhlet extracts from all six sampling locations induced significant dioxin-like responses in the H4IIE-luc bioassay. TCDD-EQs derived from H4IIE bioassay ranged from 7 × 10 −3 to 1.5 × 10 3 pg/g, dw, which were significantly correlated with TEQs ( r 2 = 0.994, p < 0.05). Among the three Florisil fractions tested, PCDD/Fs in fraction (F2) induced the greatest magnitude of response (range: 24–83%-TCDD-max.) in the H4IIE-luc assay. Comparison of the TEQ and TCDD-EQ suggested little non-additive interaction between fractions and AhR-active and inactive compounds. Concentrations of individual congeners as well as TEQs and TCDD-EQs suggest inputs from the industrial center waste stream in the Hyeongsan River. A combination of in vitro bioassay and chemical analysis identified that PCDDs/Fs are responsible for the dioxin-like activity present in the extracts of Hyeongsan River sediment.