Sedimentary record of hydrophobic organic compounds in relation to regional economic development: A study of Taihu Lake, East China

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 157; no. 11; pp. 2994 - 3000
• Main Authors: Liu, Guoqing, Zhang, Gan, Jin, Zhangdong, Li, Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; China; DDT; DDT (pesticide); Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Economic Development; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Pollution - adverse effects; Environmental Pollution - economics; Exact sciences and technology; Freshwater; Geologic Sediments - analysis; HCH (pesticide); Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Hydrophobic organic compounds; Lakes; Lakes - analysis; Organic Chemicals - chemistry; Pollution; Pollution sources. Measurement results; Pollution, environment geology; Polyallylamine hydrochloride; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Regional; runoff; sediment contamination; Sediment record; Sedimentation; Sediments; Soil (material); Soil and sediments pollution; Taihu Lake; temporal variation; trend analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; China; Asia; China, People's Rep., Tai Hu L; China, People's Rep., Jiangsu Prov., Meiliang Bay; Sediment record; Taihu Lake; Hydrophobic organic compounds; Historical reconstruction; Ether; Hydrocarbon; Regional scope; Pesticides; Flame retardant; Hydrophobic compound; Organic bromine compounds; Lake sediments; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Economic development; Persistent organic pollutant; Pollution; Organochlorine compounds; Chlorine Organic compounds; Depth profile; Pollution source; Organic compounds; Anthropogenic factor
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.05.056

Sediment cores taken from Taihu Lake, East China were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The results showed a general sharp increase of HCH, DDT, PAH and PBDE concentrations in the surface layers, corresponding to a sedimentation time of 1980 and 1990 onward in the Meiliang Bay and Xukou Bay, respectively. The source of PAHs has largely transferred from petrogenic to pyrogenic origin, and good relationships were observed between sediment PAH concentrations and the regional gross domestic product. The sharp increase of DDTs in recent years may be related to the mobilization and migration of these chemicals from surface soil to lake sediment, as a result of enhanced soil run-off due to large scale land transform, as well as the contribution of current usage of dicofol and DDT-containing anti-fouling paints. PAHs, DDTs and PBDEs are still increasing in the Taihu Lake sediment.