Environmental assessment of persistent organic pollutants in surface sediments of the Danshui River basin, Taipei, Taiwan

Environmental assessment of persistent organic pollutants in surface sediments of the Danshui River basin, Taipei, Taiwan

2020

Surface sediments from the Danshui River basin were collected and analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs). The total concentrations of each category ranged from 96 to 3803 ng g⁻¹ for PAHs, 0.02 to 54.9 ng g⁻¹ for PCBs, and from below the detection limit to 10.3 ng g⁻¹ for DDTs. These values are within the ranges observed for river and estuarine sediments of industrial and urbanized areas in Taiwan and worldwide. A decreasing trend of POP levels was observed in comparison with the levels reported in previous studies. Significant correlations between the levels of compounds and black carbon (BC) were found, suggesting that these POPs and BC may have similar transport processes. Based on sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), the ecological risk posed by these POPs toward sediment-dwelling organisms in the Danshui River basin is relatively low. Long-term monitoring of contaminant levels is necessary to develop appropriate management tools due to the importance of the Danshui river basin as a water source for metropolitan areas.

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