Anthropogenic influences in a rapidly urbanizing area using linear alkylbenzenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as tracers.

ABSTRACT

Environmental molecular markers can be used to understand the sources, transport, and fate of pollutants. Furthermore, they can also be applied to assess the influences of anthropogenic activities and elucidate urbanization from different perspectives. In this study, the potential of linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as chemical indicators of urbanization was examined first. Overall, the concentrations of LABs and PAHs ranged from 5.49-148 ng/g (mean 15.6, median 9.33) and 3.61-4878 ng/g (mean 181, median 71.3), respectively. Owing to the different sources and input methods of these two substances in soil, the area-weighted median values for LABs were more suitable to assess the magnitude of contamination on the administrative scale. For PAHs, the average values were more practical. LAB (consumption-induced pollutants) and PAH (production-induced pollutants) concentrations exhibited good correlations with some indices for residential daily life and industrialization, which indicated that soil can be utilized to reveal multidimensional urbanization-environment relationships. Two different patterns, the inverted U-shaped pattern and the upward pattern, were employed to simulate the environment-urbanization relationships in Shenzhen, China, which indicated that raising the standard of living or industrialization had created different soil pollution. The environmental quality demand was more difficult to meet by changing the energy structure than by improving infrastructure.