Microbial community succession and responses to internal environmental drivers throughout the operation of constructed wetlands.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been widely used to ensure effective domestic wastewater treatment. Microorganisms-derived CWs have received extensive attention as they play a crucial role. However, research on the succession patterns of microbial communities and the influencing mechanisms of internal environmental factors throughout entire CW operations remains limited. In this context, three parallel-operated CWs were established in this study to assess the microbial communities and their influencing environmental factors at different substrate depths throughout the operation process using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing and metagenomic sequencing. The results showed gradual reproduction and accumulation of the microbial communities throughout the CW operation. Although gradual increases in the richness and diversity of the microbial communities were found, there were decreases in the functional expression of the dominant microbial species. The excessive accumulation of microorganisms will decrease the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) within CWs and attenuate their influence on effluent. Dissolved oxygen (DO) was the major factor influencing the microbial community succession over the CW operation. The main identified functional bacterial genera responsible for the ammonium oxidation, nitrification, and denitrification processes in the CWs were Nitrosospira, Nitrobacter, Nitrospira, Rhodanobacter, and Nakamurella. The narG gene was identified as a key functional gene linking various components of nitrogen cycling, while pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and ORP were the major environmental factors affecting the metabolism characteristics of nitrogen functional microorganisms. This study provides a theoretical basis for the effective regulation of related microbial communities to achieve long-term, efficient, and stable CW operations.

Identification of high oxygen-consuming substances in stormwater drainage systems illicitly connected with sewage system.

The dissolved oxygen content in water is an important indicator for assessing the quality of the water environment, and maintaining a certain amount of dissolved oxygen is essential for the healthy development of the ecological environment. When a water body is anoxic, the activity of anaerobic microorganisms increases and organic matter is decomposed to produce a large number of blackening and odorizing substances, resulting in black and odorous water bodies, which is a very common and typical phenomenon in China. Presently, there is still a relatively universal occurrence of illicitly connected stormwater and sewage pipes in the urban drainage pipe network in China, which makes oxygen-consuming substances be directly discharged into rivers through stormwater pipes and consume the dissolved oxygen in the water bodies, resulting in an oxygen deficiency of the water. This induces seasonal or year-round black and stink phenomena in urban rivers. Hence, identifying high oxygen-consuming substances, which lays the foundation for the subsequent removal of oxygen-consuming substances, is essential. Through a series of comparisons of water quality indicators and analysis of organic characteristics, it was found that the oxygen consumption capacity of domestic sewage was higher than that of industrial wastewater in the selected area of this study, and the oxygen-consuming substances of domestic sewage were small molecular amino acids. By comparing 20 conventional free amino acids, it was found that seven of them consumed oxygen easily, and compared with chemical oxygen consumption, biological oxygen consumption was in a leading position.

Novelty three stages for humification of sewage sludge during hyperthermophilic aerobic fermentation.

Compared with conventional aerobic fermentation (CAF), there is limited knowledge of how hyperthermophilic aerobic fermentation (HAF) enhances the humification of sewage sludge. This study compared three novel stages of organic degradation, precursors, functional groups, bacterial community, and humus synthesis mechanism in HAF with CAF. The results showed that organic matter (OM) degraded rapidly, and 68% of the degradation could be completed of stage I in HAF. Compared with the initial stage, ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), water-soluble organic carbon, and water-soluble total nitrogen increased by 2.83 times, 40.5 times, and 33.5 times, respectively. Cellulose and hemicellulose decreased by 29.22% and 21.85%, respectively. These results suggested that temperature (>80 °C) and Bacillus dominated accelerate the humification process by rapidly improving OM degradation. Compared with the initial value of HAF, the maximum increment of reducing sugar at stage II was 297%, and the degradation rate of cellulose was effectively increased by 21.03% compared with that of CAF. The precursors such as reducing sugars and amino acids formed humus at stage II. The content of Aryl C increased significantly during the HAF process, the degree of polymerization of humus and the aromatization degree of HA and FA increased significantly, and complex organic macromolecular material polymers were formed at stage III. The sugar-amine condensation was the mechanism of humification in the sludge HAF process. This investigation provided three new stages of insights into the synthesis of humification during the HAF process and extended the current mechanism of humification in the HAF process.

The performance and mechanism of iron-mediated chemical oxidation: Advances in hydrogen peroxide, persulfate and percarbonate oxidation.

Many studies have successfully built iron-mediated materials to activate or catalyze Fenton-like reactions, with applications in water and wastewater treatment being investigated. However, the developed materials are rarely compared with each other regarding their performance of organic contaminant removal. In this review, the recent advances of Fenton-like processes in homogeneous and heterogeneous ways are summarized, especially the performance and mechanism of activators including ferrous iron, zero valent iron, iron oxides, iron-loaded carbon, zeolite, and metal organic framework materials. Also, this work mainly compares three O-O bond containing oxidants including hydrogen dioxide, persulfate, and percarbonate, which are environmental-friendly oxidants and feasible for in-situ chemical oxidation. The influence of reaction conditions, catalyst properties and benefits are analyzed and compared. In addition, the challenges and strategies of these oxidants in applications and the major mechanisms of the oxidation process have been discussed. This work can help understand the mechanistic insights of variable Fenton-like reactions, the role of emerging iron-based materials, and provide guidance for choosing appropriate technologies when facing real-world water and wastewater applications.

Cancer Risk of Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome and Treatment Experience: A Chinese Medical Center.

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS), also known as hereditary mucocutaneous pigmented gastrointestinal polyposis, is a clinically rare autosomal dominant genetic disease, which falls into the category of hereditary colorectal cancer. There are ∼7,000 new cases of PJS in China every year, and 170,000 PJS patients may survive for a long time in society. PJS polyps are characterized by an early age of onset, difficult diagnosis and treatment, and easy recurrence. With repeated growth, polyps can lead to serious complications such as intestinal obstruction, intussusception, gastrointestinal bleeding, and cancerization, which cause serious clinical problems. Due to repeated hospitalization and endoscopic follow-up, PJS patients and their families suffer from great physical and mental pain and economic burden. With the in-depth understanding of PJS and the development and popularization of endoscopic techniques in the past decade, an integrated treatment modality based on endoscopy plus surgery has gradually become the preferred treatment in most hospitals, which greatly improves the quality of life of PJS patients. However, there is still a lack of effective drug prevention and cure means. In this paper, the current clinical treatment means for PJS polyps were summarized by literature review combined with the treatment experience of our medical center, with a focus on their clinical diagnosis, treatment, and cancer risk.

New mechanism of FA in composted sludge inducing Cu fixation on Albite in open-pit mine soil.

Fulvic acid (FA), typical organic matter derived from humification process in composted sludge, possesses the potential to remediate mine soils contaminated by heavy metals. To understand the cooper (Cu) immobilizing process in open-pit mine soil induced by FA, changes of Cu speciation in mixture of open-pit mine soil and composted sludge was tracked over 180 days. It was observed that the organic-bound and residual fraction of Cu increased dramatically with the corresponding decrease of Fe/Mn oxide-bound Cu in the first 60 days, then the organic-bound fraction decreased to about its initial proportion during 60-120 days, while residual fraction still increased, and the proportion of residual Cu accounted for over 85% and became stable after 120 days. To reveal the mechanism of FA inducing Cu fixation on Albite which is the main phase of soil primary ore, two groups of Cu adsorption experiments with and without FA were designed. With the addition of FA, the adsorption capacity of Cu by Albite increased by 1.55 times and the content of residual Cu in Albite increased by 7.7 times. It was found that the Cu absorbed in smaller Albite particle induced by FA formed a secondary mineral--Chrysocolla, causing increase of residual fraction of Cu. These results revealed the mechanism: FA was absorbed on the surface of Albite after complexing with Cu ions in the solution, and then it induced Cu into the interlayer and pore channels of Albite. The Cu in the Albite was immobilized by forming Chrysocolla finally.

Long-term effect of water diversion and CSOs on the remediation of heavy metals and microbial community in river sediments.

Untreated combined sewer overflows (CSOs) cause serious water pollution problems. In this study, the effects of CSO-induced heavy metals and the remediation practice of installation of a long-term water diversion (LTWD) on the microbial environment in river sediments were analyzed in an inland river. The Zn, Cd, Cr, and Cu contents in sediments and water were analyzed. DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction analysis were conducted based on the Illumina MiSeq platform. The results showed that CSOs have a significant adverse impact on the diversity of microbial populations in river sediments. The LTWD is helpful in improving the richness of microorganisms and the proportion of Gram -ves, but it is challenging to reduce the accumulation of heavy metals in the sediment. The correlation analysis shows a strong relationship between some metabolic pathways and Zn and Cd accumulation in river sediments. Some detoxification compound metabolisms are also promoted at these sites. Thus, chronic exposure to environmental heavy metals from CSOs decreases the river microbial community, and further affects the ecological environment of the river. Therefore, without eliminating CSOs or reducing overflow frequency, it is difficult to alleviate the accumulation of heavy metals in river sediments and improve river ecology via water diversion alone.

Runoff simulation of two typical urban green land types with the Stormwater Management Model (SWMM): sensitivity analysis and calibration of runoff parameters.

The characteristics of surface runoff and the infiltration properties of urban green land are important to determine the effects of runoff reduction by low-impact development (LID) facilities. In this paper, two typical types of urban green land (lawn and shrub) in Shanghai were selected to study the runoff characteristics under eight rainfall events. The sensitivity of the runoff parameters was analyzed, and then, the optimal parameters were determined using the Stormwater Management Model (SWMM). The results showed that the interception and infiltration capacities of shrub were greater than those of lawn. The rainfall intensity and rainfall pattern were the major factors that influenced the interception and infiltration of rainwater. The threshold value that generates runoff varied across the eight rainfall events ranged from 1.6 to 28.5 mm for lawn and 4.5 to 32.0 mm for shrub. The maximum reduction ratios of runoff and peak flow for shrub were 52 and 57% higher than them for lawn, respectively. The parameters for shrub were more sensitive to runoff and peak flow compared with those for lawn. Under light rainfalls with a short duration, the maximum infiltration rate and depression storage were more sensitive than those under heavy rainfalls with a long duration. Antecedent dry weather period was not found to be a sensitive parameter except for the shrub under light rainfalls. The relative errors of runoff and dynamic mean runoff (60 min) for lawn and shrub were within ± 9.5%. The errors of peak flow ranged between - 21 and 16.6%. The dynamic runoff characteristics and the parameters for lawn and shrub determined in this study can provide references for simulating urban runoff and planning LID areas.

The Preparation of Biochar Particles from Sludge and Corncobs and Its Pb2+ Adsorption Properties.

In the present study, biochar particles (BPs) produced by the co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and corncobs at temperatures of 300, 500, and 700°C were characterized. The Pb2+ adsorption properties and the heavy metal leaching toxicity rates of the BPs were investigated. It was found that the adsorption kinetics of the Pb2+ can be accurately described by a pseudo-second-order model, and the equilibrium adsorption data were well represented by both the Langmuir and the Freundilich Equations. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) results indicated that the leaching concentrations of all the heavy metals were below the set limit of China's national standard (Identification Standard for Hazardous Waste Extraction Toxicity Identification, China National Standard, GB 5085.3-2007). The results of this study can successfully provide scientific support for future corncob treatment and sludge pollution control.

Different erosion characteristics of sediment deposits in combined and storm sewers.

To investigate the different erosion patterns of sediments in combined and storm sewers, sediments from three separate sewer systems and two combined sewer systems in urban Shanghai were collected for the flushing experiments. These experiments were conducted with different consolidation periods and shear velocities. As the consolidation period increases, dissolved oxygen exhibits a positive effect on the microbial transformations of organic substrates. Potential structural changes and separations of the surface and bottom layers of sediments are observed. The results also reveal that the organic matter, particle size and moisture have different effects on the erosion resistance of sediments. Furthermore, illicit connections behaved as an important factor affecting the viscosity and static friction force of particles, which directly alter the erosion resistance of sewer sediments.

Influences of rainfall variables and antecedent discharge on urban effluent concentrations and loads in wet weather.

For storm drainages inappropriately connected with sewage, wet weather discharge is a major factor that adversely affects receiving waters. A study of the wet weather influences of rainfall-discharge variables on storm drainages connected with sewage was conducted in the downtown Shanghai area (374 ha). Two indicators, event mean concentration (EMC) and event pollutant load per unit area (EPL), were used to describe the pollution discharge during 20 rain events. The study showed that the total rainfall and discharge volume were important factors that affect the EMCs and EPLs of the chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus, and especially those of NH4+-N. The pollutant concentrations at the beginning of the discharge and the discharge period were also major factors that influence the EMCs of these three pollutants. Regression relationships between the rainfall-discharge variables and discharge volume/ EPLs (R2 = 0.824-0.981) were stronger than the relationships between the rainfall-discharge variables and EMCs. These regression equations can be considered reliable in the system, with a relative validation error of less than ±10% for the discharge volume, and less than ±20% for the EPLs. The results presented in this paper provide guidance for effectively controlling pollution in similar storm drainages.

Rainfall-induced nutrient losses from manure-fertilized farmland in an alluvial plain.

Nutrient transport and loss in farmlands are affected by factors such as land cover, fertilization, soil type, rainfall, and management practices. We investigated the temporal and spatial changes in macronutrient transport and loss after fertilization and precipitation in manure-fertilized eggplant farmland in an alluvial plain. Upon adding topical fertilizer, concentrations of most nutrients in runoff and groundwater increased, and nitrogen runoff increased from 22.11 to 35.81 kg/ha, although eggplant yield did not increase correspondingly. Incorporation of fertilizer by plowing reduced nutrient losses (nitrogen runoff/fertilizer decreased from 18.40 to 12.29 %). Measurements taken along the nutrient transport route (runoff, drainage ditch, groundwater, river water, and finally rainfall) revealed that concentrations of most nutrients declined at each stage. Nutrient characteristics varied by transport, and the forms of nitrogen and phosphorus differed greatly between runoff and groundwater (nitrate/nitrogen in runoff was ~43.49 %, while in groundwater ~5.41 %). Most nutrient concentrations in runoff decreased greatly during the planting season (total nitrogen decreased from 62.25 to 4.17 mg/L), correlated positively with temperature and stage of plant growth, but little temporal change was observed in groundwater. This field investigation during one planting season exemplifies the basic principles of nutrient loss and transport from manure-fertilized farmland in an alluvial plain.

Competitive adsorption of heavy metals onto xanthate-modified sludge hydrochar and its solidification as secondary minerals.

In this study, a sulfur-modified magnetic hydrochar was synthesized by grafting thiol-containing groups onto the sludge-derived hydrochar. The modified hydrochar exhibited effective adsorption of Cu2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ over a wide pH range and in the presence of coexisting ions, and showed almost no secondary leaching in three acidic solutions. In the mult-metal ion system, the modified hydrochar exhibited maximum adsorption capacities were 39.38, 105.74, 26.53, and 38.11 mg g-1 for Cu2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+, respectively. However, the binding capacity and adsorption amount of modified hydrochar for metal ions were lower in the mult-metal ion system compared to the unit-metal ion system. Notably, Pb2+ showed a strong inhibitory effect on the adsorption of other heavy metal ions by modified hydrochar due to strong competition for xanthate functional groups. The Pb2+ occupied the xanthate and native functional groups (-OH, -NH2, and Fe-O etc.), leaving only a small amount of adsorption sites for Cu2+, Zn2+ and Cd2+. Simulation results further supported these findings, indicating that Pb2+ had the highest density profiles near the four functional groups, and the density profiles of the four heavy metals near the xanthate functional groups were greater compared to the other three functional groups. Furthermore, the SEM-EDS, TOF-SIMI, and XPS results indicated that modified hydrochar achieved excellent mineral binding mainly through electrostatic interaction, ion exchange, and chelation. Overall, these results highlight the sulfur-modified magnetic hydrochar as a highly efficient adsorbent for heavy metals in environmental applications.

Occurrence, fate, and ecological risk of antibiotics in wastewater treatment plants in China: A review.

This review offers a comprehensive overview of the occurrence, fate, and ecological risk associated with six major categories of antibiotics found in influent, effluent, and sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in China. Further exploration includes examining the correlation between antibiotic residual rates in the effluents and process parameters of urban WWTPs across the country. Lastly, a nationwide and urban cluster-specific evaluation of the ecological risk posed by antibiotics in WWTPs is conducted. The findings reveal that the average concentrations of antibiotics in influent, effluent, and sludge from urban WWTPs in China are 786.2 ng/L, 311.2 ng/L, and 186.8 µg/kg, respectively. Among the detected antibiotics, 42% exhibit moderate to high ecological risk in the effluent, with ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, azithromycin, and tetracycline posing moderate to high ecological risks in sludge. The current biological treatment processes in WWTPs demonstrate inefficacy in removing antibiotics. Hence, there is a pressing need to develop and integrate innovative technologies, such as advanced oxidation processes. This review aims to offer a more comprehensive understanding and identify priority antibiotics for control to effectively manage antibiotic pollution within WWTPs at both national and regional levels.

Effect of dissolved ozone flotation thickening process on coliform bacteria and antibiotics simultaneous abatement: A pilot-scale study.

This study focused on the removal of the total coliforms, fecal coliforms and four target antibiotics in the dissolved ozone flotation (DOF) thickening sludge process. Additionally, the thickened effluent chromaticity and its effect on thickened sludge hydrolysis process were investigated. Ozonation in the DOF process could inactivate coliforms by oxidizing cellular components and destroying genetic material, as well as altering the chemical structure of antibiotics, leading to the degradation of antibiotics. At an O3 dosage of 16 mg/g TS, the concentration of total coliforms and fecal coliforms decreased by 2.2 log and 2.4 log, corresponding to an overall removal rate of 99.4 % and 99.7 %, respectively. The total degradation rate of four target antibiotics (tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC), norfloxacin (NOR), ofloxacin (OFL)) were 66.5 %, 68.8 %, 53.3 % and 57.5 %, respectively. The chromaticity removal rate of the thickened effluent reached 95 %. Analysis of fluorescence spectra indicated alterations in the fluorescence properties of dissolved organic matter, resulting in a decrease in fluorescence intensity by ozonation. The thickened sludge had higher hydrolysis rates, resulting in a greater production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs). This was mainly attributed to the increased amount of soluble protein and carbohydrate in the substrate after DOF treatment, which was more conducive for the rapid conversion of hydrolysis into VFAs during the initial stage. These results provided new ideas for upgrading and transforming the thickening process of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

Cd immobilization efficacy of biogenic Mn oxide formed by Cladosporium sp. XM01 and its biological response in sediment.

Biogenic Mn oxides (BMOs), the main component of natural Mn oxides, closely relate to Cd in sediment. However, the immobilization behavior of Cd in sediments by BMOs is currently unclear. This study explores the role of BMO produced by the Mn-oxidizing fungus Cladosporium sp. XM01 in mediating the Cd immobilization and its biological response in sediment. A comparison is made with those of a chemical Mn oxide (CMO, triclinic birnessite). After 45 d of remediation, the results showed that the application of BMO reduced the extractable Cd by 32.20-64.40% based on the TCLP (toxicity characteristic leaching procedure) and by 26.16-51.43% based on the PBET (physiologically based extraction test). Additionally, BMO was more effective at immobilizing Cd than CMO in sediments. The BCR (Community Bureau of Reference) extraction results suggested that BMO converted some acid-soluble components (20.63-33.23%) of Cd into residual components (9.40-20.68%). Moreover, the urease and catalase activity gradually increased within the first 25 days and then stabilized after applying BMO. Microbial community analysis revealed that the addition of a high-dose BMO was more conducive to increasing microbial abundance and biodiversity. This study verifies that BMO is a low-cost, high-efficiency, and eco-friendly material for immobilizing Cd in sediment.

Tracking the source of antibiotic resistome in the stormwater network drainage in the presence of sewage illicit connections.

Stormwater pipes are illicitly connected with sewage in many countries, which means that sewage enters stormwater pipes and the drainage is discharged to surface water without any treatment. Sewage contains more pathogens and highly risky antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) than surface runoff. Therefore, sewage may alter the microbial and ARG compositions in stormwater pipe drainage, which in turn leads to an increased risk of resistance in surface water. However, the effects of sewage on ARGs in the drainage of stormwater networks have not been systematically studied. This study characterized the microbial and ARG composition of several environmental compartments of a typical stormwater network and quantified their contributions to those in the drainage. This network transported ARGs and microorganisms from sewage, sediments in stormwater pipes, and surface runoff into the drainage and thus into the river. According to metagenomic analysis, multidrug resistance genes were most abundant in all samples and the numbers and relative abundance of ARGs in the drainage collected during wet weather were comparable to that of sewage. The results of SourceTracker showed that the relative contribution of sewage was double that of rainwater and surface runoff in the drainage during wet weather for both microorganisms and ARGs. Desulfovibrio, Azoarcus, and Sulfuritalea were connected with the greatest number of ARGs and were most abundant in the sediments of stormwater pipes. Furthermore, stochastic processes were found to dominate ARG and microbial assembly, as the effects of high hydrodynamic intensity outweighed the effects of environmental filtration and species interactions. The findings of this study can increase our understanding of ARGs in stormwater pipe drainage, a crucial medium linking ARGs in sewage to environmental ARGs.

Advancing illicit connection diagnosis of urban stormwater pipes: Comprehensive analysis with EEM fluorescence spectroscopy.

Urban drainage systems are significant contributors to the issue of black-odorous water bodies. The current application of stormwater pipe inspection technologies faces substantial limitations, especially in industrial areas with diverse wastewater. This study introduced an innovative approach using excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy for rapid and accurate diagnosis, providing a new perspective for diagnosing illicit connections. In single wastewater-type areas like residential zones, the method achieved a remarkable 91.5 % accuracy solely through spectra observation and fluorescence peak intensity comparison, outperforming conventional NH3-N-based techniques, which reached an accuracy of only 68.1 %. For regions with complex wastewater scenarios, after EEM subtraction, the residual spectra can be roughly categorized into four distinctive categories based on characteristics. This provides a preliminary assessment and helps in initially identifying the types and sources of inflowing wastewater. Furthermore, the least squares (LS) method refines diagnosis results, offering calculated coefficients reflecting the probability and severity of suspected wastewater intrusion. Simulation experiments and field sample analyses validated the feasibility and accuracy of the EEM-based method, highlighting its advantages for diagnosing illicit connections in both single and mixed wastewater scenarios. The results can significantly narrow down the investigation scope and enhance the confirmation of wastewater sources, exhibiting promising application prospects.

The occurrence characteristics, removal efficiency, and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sewage sludges from across China.

Sewage sludge is considered to be an important sink for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in wastewater treatment plants and the potential risks from sludge contaminated with PAHs during land application has attracted attention. To identify the priority PAHs for control and enhance their removal from sludge, the occurrence characteristics, removal efficiency, and risk assessment of PAHs in sewage sludges from across China were analyzed. Data collection was from 2001 to 2023. Results showed that 16 PAHs were widely detected in Chinese sewage sludge with total amounts (∑16PAHs) between 0.06 and 34.93 mg kg dw-1. Fossil fuel, coal, and biomass combustion are main anthropogenic sources of PAHs in China. In general, phenanthrene (PHE), anthracene (ANT), fluorescein (FL), chrysene (CHR), pyrene (PYR), and benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF) are regarded as the main components and PAHs with 3-5 rings dominate (84.01%-91.53%) sewage sludge in China. Although aerobic composting and anaerobic treatment significantly improve ∑16PAHs removal, sludge stabilization treatment only reduced the risk by a small amount, especially for high-molecular-weight (HMW) PAHs. The benzo[a]anthracene (BaA), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (DahA) are proposed as the priority control contaminants for sewage sludge in China because they have consistently high-risk quotient (RQ) values of 2.42-7.47, 1.28-3.16, 1.06-1.83 before and after sludge stabilization, respectively. More attention should be paid to BaA, BbF, benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF), BaP, DahA, and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (IcdP) in Beijing; ANT, BaA, and BaP in Shanghai; and BaA and BaP in Guanghzou. Although the toxic equivalent quotient (TEQ) for PAHs met the limit concentration requirements of the national standard, the potential health risks due to long-term exposure to HMW PAHs cannot be ignored because the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) was consistently in the risk threshold range (>1 × 10-6). Some suggestions on enhanced treatment approaches and land use standards are proposed to further alleviate the risk from HMW PAHs.