Concentrations, homolog profiles, and risk assessment of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in soil around factories in a non-ferrous metal recycling park.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are used as additives in metal processing in the metal smelting industry. Data on CPs in the environment near metal smelting plants are limited. The objectives of this study were to investigate the concentrations and congener profiles of CPs in soil around factories in a non-ferrous metal recycling park located in Hebei, China, and to investigate human exposure to CPs in the soil. The concentrations of short-chain CPs (SCCPs) and medium-chain CPs (MCCPs) were determined by two-dimensional gas chromatography with electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry. The SCCP and MCCP concentrations in the soil samples were 121-5159 ng/g and 47-6079 ng/g, respectively. Generally, the CP concentrations in soils around the factories were relatively high compared with those near other contaminated sites and in rural and urban areas. There were significant correlations between the MCCP concentrations, some SCCP carbon homologs, and the total organic carbon content (p < 0.05). The major SCCP and MCCP congener groups were C10Cl6-7 and C15-16Cl5, respectively. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis indicated that SCCPs and MCCPs in the soil might originate from extreme pressure additives containing CP-42 and CP-52 and CP-containing waste material from the factories. The concentrations in two samples collected near a metal recycling factory posed a moderate risk according to a risk assessment conducted using risk quotients. Further risk assessment showed that the CPs concentrations in soil did not pose significant health risks to either children or adults.

Investigation on Distribution and Risk Assessment of Volatile Organic Compounds in Surface Water, Sediment, and Soil in a Chemical Industrial Park and Adjacent Area.

The occurrences, distributions, and risks of 55 target volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in water, sediment, sludge, and soil samples taken from a chemical industrial park and the adjacent area were investigated in this study. The Σ55-VOCs concentrations in the water, sediment, sludge, and soil samples were 1.22-5449.21 µg L-1, ND-52.20 ng g-1, 21.53 ng g-1, and ND-11.58 ng g-1, respectively. The main products in this park are medicines, pesticides, and novel materials. As for the species of VOCs, aromatic hydrocarbons were the dominant VOCs in the soil samples, whereas halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons were the dominant VOCs in the water samples. The VOCs concentrations in water samples collected at different locations varied by 1-3 orders of magnitude, and the average concentration in river water inside the park was obviously higher than that in river water outside the park. However, the risk quotients for most of the VOCs indicated a low risk to the relevant, sensitive aquatic organisms in the river water. The average VOCs concentration in soil from the park was slightly higher than that from the adjacent area. This result showed that the chemical industrial park had a limited impact on the surrounding soil, while the use of pesticides, incomplete combustion of coal and biomass, and automobile exhaust emissions are all potential sources of the VOCs in the environmental soil. The results of this study could be used to evaluate the effects of VOCs emitted from chemical production and transportation in the park on the surrounding environment.

China's natural resources balance sheet from the perspective of government oversight: Based on the analysis of governance and accounting attributes.

One of the top priorities of the Chinese government's oversight is to address the conflicts between economic growth and resource consumption and between economic development and ecological damage. In this regard, the advocacy and compilation of the natural resources balance sheet can boost the efficiency of the government's oversight and improve the quality of resource management. However, China's natural resources balance sheet is still at an exploratory stage, lacking the theoretical framework of balance sheet preparation, preparatory ideas, and a reporting system, which must be established urgently. First, the study states the purpose of compiling the natural resources balance sheet, and, subsequently, analyzes the theoretical basis, framework system, preparatory ideas, and sample sheet format, thereby offering theoretical and methodological support for its preparation. Moreover, the development, functions, deficits, and future development of the balance sheet are analyzed in the context of the Chinese system, which provides theoretical and methodological support for the preparation of the natural resources balance sheet and government oversight.

[Levels distribution and risk assessment of the indicator and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in ten different species of marine fish of Bohai Bay, China].

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly lipohilic compounds with high metabolic persistence and toxicity. PCBs tend to accumulate in the aquatic food chain and make fish a source of various environmental toxicants to humans. Industries in the Bohai Bay include iron and steel smelting, cement manufacturing and waste incineration, which are potential emission sources of PCBs. In this study, risks and potential effects of PCBs in the Bohai Bay were assessed. Twelve dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) and seven indicator PCBs in marine fish samples were analyzed by High Resolution Gas Chromatography/High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). The concentrations of dl-PCBs in marine fishes ranged from 28.9 pg x g(-1) to 1067.6 pg x g(-1) wet weight. The concentrations of indicator PCBs were between 185.5 pg x g(-1) and 8 371.7 pg x g(-1) wet weight. PCB-118 and PCB-105 were the major congeners of the dl-PCBs congeners, which contributed 41% - 56% and 15% - 21%, respectively. The predominant indicator PCBs were PCB-153 and PCB-138, which contributed 27% and 22%, respectively. The concentrations of dl-PCBs and indicator PCBs were relatively low as compared with those in other studies.