Human health risk assessment of environmental and dietary exposure to natural radionuclides in the Catalan stretch of the Ebro River, Spain

This study was aimed at assessing the levels of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po concentrations as well as gross alpha and beta activities in environmental monitors from the Catalan stretch of the Ebro River (Spain), potentially influenced by the presence of sediments with high concentrations of ²³⁸U and its decay chain daughters in the Flix reservoir. The chronic daily intake of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po through ingestion and inhalation of soils was evaluated, and the derived non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were characterized. The low concentration of radioisotopes in soils resulted in a negligible annual effective dose. The levels of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po were determined in various groups of highly consumed food (fish and seafood, vegetables, fruits, and rice), and their dietary intake was calculated. The annual effective dose for the adult people from food intake was estimated in 3.3 × 10^???2 mSv, mostly due to ²¹⁰Po. Overall, the current radioactivity levels in the Catalan stretch of the Ebro River should not mean any additional health risk for the population living nearby. However, an integral assessment of the risks derived from exposure to other pollutants (e.g., metals and organochlorine compounds) jointly with radionuclides could be of great interest.     

Tissue distribution of 210Po and 210Pb in select marine species of the coast of Kudankulam, southern coast of Gulf of Mannar, India

Activities of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb in various tissues of four species of decapod crabs and two species of cephalopod mollusks (cuttlefishes) of Kudankulam coast were studied. A non-uniform distribution of these radionuclides was observed between the organs. Of all the tissues, ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb were found accumulated more in the hepatopancreas and intestine of crabs and in the digestive gland, shell gland, and intestine of cephalopods. Among crabs, Charybdis lucifera registered a little higher ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb activities. The cephalopod species Loligo duvauceli displayed higher ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb in some organs when compared to Sepia pharaonis. The muscle of all the species registered lower activity. In cephalopods, the activity ratio of ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb fell within the range of 1?C2 for most of the organs, and in crab tissues, it varied from 1.7 to 31.4. The biological concentration factor for organs of cephalopods ranged from 1.2 ×10³ to 4.3 ×10⁵ for ²¹⁰Po and 4.8 ×10² to 8.4 ×10⁴ for ²¹⁰Pb and for organs of crabs it varied between 2.0 ×10⁴ and 1.9 ×10⁶ for ²¹⁰Po and 9.2 ×10² and 2.4 ×10⁴ for ²¹⁰Pb. The study revealed that the organs associated with digestion and metabolism displayed a higher activity concentration than the other tissues. A significant variation in the accumulation of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb was noted between species (P?<?0.05). The activity levels recorded are in agreement with values recorded in related organisms in other parts of the world. The data generated will act as a reference database for these organisms of this coast in which a nuclear power station is under construction.     

The 210Po and 210Pb levels in surface sediment samples in the Izmir Bay (Aegean Sea-Turkey)

Bottom sediments reflect in general the relative contamination of a sea area. Therefore, a great deal of monitoring work has been dedicated to the analysis of bottom sediments. Izmir Bay is a very important pollution centre in Turkish Aegean coast region due to a densely populated community, industrial complex and maritime transportation, and there are many streams flowing into the bay that pass through a number of industrial and agricultural areas. It had received the majority of domestic and industrial wastewaters until the wastewater treatment plant was constructed. It is well known that sediments play an important role as reservoirs of a fraction of the pollution in aquatic systems. Therefore, sediment samples were collected monthly from three stations which are located in the inner part of the bay during the period January to December 2003. Temporal variations and seasonal changes on their ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb contents were examined, and the activity concentrations of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb were found to vary from 43±6 to 132±12 and 27±5 to 91±9 Bq kg^???1 dry wt, respectively. The highest values of those natural radionuclides were measured at Kar??yaka Station because of the current systems of the bay. Seasonally, the ²¹⁰Pb levels were found to increase during the winter time for all the stations.     

Air quality assessment in Southern Kuwait using diffusive passive samplers

Measurements of fortnightly average concentrations of NO, NO₂, SO₂, H₂S, NH₃, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (aromatics = benzene, toluene, o-xylene, m + p-xylene, ethyl benzene; non-aromatics = nonane and octane) were carried out in the period from 26/10/05 to 24/11/05 at 20 points in the southern part of Kuwait as part of a baseline environmental impact assessment study requested by Kuwait National Petroleum Company. Two waves of triplicate diffusive passive samplers were used. A high volume air sampler was used to measure PM₁₀ too. During the sampling period, the wind was observed to be mainly from the west and northwest with an average of 4.28 m/s. The consistency of the results allowed the production of spatial distribution maps of the pollutants measured and consequently the comparison between levels of air pollution at different locations. A comparison between the measured concentrations and the applicable air quality standards promulgated by Kuwait Environment Public Authority (KEPA) showed that those compounds had low concentrations compared to both industrial and residential KEPA standards. For other compounds which are not covered by KEPA standards, the results were compared with relevant limits of US Environment Protect Agency (USEPA) and US Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The comparison showed that the measured compounds had low concentrations compared to the existing standards and, accordingly, no violation of air quality standards is reported.     

Historical pollution trends in coastal environments of India

Seventeen sediment cores were collected from different coastalecosystems of Tamil Nadu, India that include coastal lagoon (Pulicat), polluted rivers in Chennai (Adyar and Cooum), Coral reef (Gulf of Mannar) and a perennial river (Tamiraparani).Radiometric dating has been used to determine the modern sedimentation rates in these ecosystems. The Pulicat Lake and thepolluted rivers (Adyar and Cooum) yield an average sediment accumulation rate of 12.34 and 7.85 mm yr^-1, respectively. Inthe Gulf of Mannar coral reef, the sedimentation rate averages 17.37 mm yr^-1, while the rate in Tamiraparani River is 11.00 mm yr^-1. In the Tamiraparani River basin, the deposition rates were an order of magnitude higher when compared to the erosion rates, which may be due to bank erosion and the intense human activity. In general high rates of sedimentation observed in the coastal ecosystems not only reflect the capacity of the coastal regions as sinks for trace metals but also denoteincreased input of pollutants into the coastal environments in the recent past. The deposition rates of heavy metals – Fe, Mn,Zn, Cu, Cr and Ni in the depth profiles have been computed using sedimentation rates and their distribution is discussed. It can be seen that the mean deposition rates of all the measured elements in the Tamil Nadu coastal ecosystems are high compared with rates determined for the sediments of the deltaic regions ofIndia and the Bay of Bengal.     

Assessing the Impact of Leather Industry to Water Quality in the Aojing Watershed in Zhejiang Province, China

The development of the leather industry in the Aojiang watershed of Zhejiang province increased the release of waste water. In the waste water, ammonium nitrogen (NH⁺ ₄-N) and germanium (Ge) are the main pollutants. In recent years, literature has documented that the intake of high concentrations of NH⁺ ₄-N and Ge harms human health and biological species. This paper focuses on assessing the trends of NH⁺ ₄-N and Ge concentrations in the released waste water in Aojiang watershed and on understanding their relationships with the released waste water using regression and correlation statistics. The paper also utilizes the integrated pollution index to evaluate the water quality in the watershed. Preliminary results show that, from 1992 to 1998, the concentrations of NH⁺ ₄-N and total Ge increased 13 and 14 times, respectively, and they decreased somewhat after 1998. The concentrations of NH⁺ ₄-N and total Ge are positively correlated to the amount of released waste water. These concentrations of NH⁺ ₄-N and Ge, respectively, exceed 12 and 3 times, of the water standards. The water quality in the watershed degraded from Type III in 1992 to over Type V in 2003 when they were compared with the national water quality standards. It appeared that the pollution had positive correlation with leather industry production. The degraded water has no doubt affected human health and the ecosystem health. These results can provide scientific information for the local government to reasonably adjust the industry structure and reduce the pollution to protect the environment.     

Lead contamination of an agricultural soil in the vicinity of a shooting range

In this study, coupled Pb concentration/Pb isotope data were used to evaluate the effect of a shooting range (operational for over 30 years) on Pb contamination of adjacent agricultural soils and the associated environmental risks. Lead was mainly concentrated in the arable layer of the contaminated agricultural soils at total concentrations ranging from 573 to 694 mg kg^???1. Isotopic analyses (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb) proved that Pb originated predominantly from the currently used pellets. Chemical fractionation analyses showed that Pb was mainly associated with the reducible fraction of the contaminated soil, which is in accordance with its predominant soil phases (PbO, PbCO₃). The 0.05 M EDTA extraction showed that up to 62% of total Pb from the contaminated site is potentially mobilizable. Furthermore, Pb concentrations obtained from the synthetic precipitation leaching procedure extraction exceeded the regulatory limit set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water. Ion exchange resin bags showed to be inefficient for determining the vertical distribution of free Pb^2?+? throughout the soil profile. Increased Pb concentrations were found in the biomass of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) sampled at the studied site and two possible pathways of Pb uptake have been identified: (1) through passive diffusion-driven uptake by roots and (2) especially through atmospheric deposition, which was also proved by analyses of a bioindicator species (bryophyte Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw.). This study showed that shooting ranges can present an important source of Pb contamination of agricultural soils located in their close vicinity.     

Distributions of 210Pb around a uraniferous coal-fired power plant in Western Turkey

In the present study the spatial and the vertical distributions of 210Pb were investigated in the soils around a uranifereous coal fired power plant (CPP) in Yatagan Basin, in Western Turkey. The variation of 226Ra activity along the soil profiles was studied to assess the unsupported 210Pb distribution in the same samples. 226Ra was measured by gamma spectroscopy and 210Pb activities were determined from 210Po activities using radiochemical deposition and alpha spectroscopy. The total 210Pb activity concentrations in bulk core samples varied in the range of 38-250 Bq kg(-1) in the study sites and of 22-78 Bq kg(-1) in reference site. In the sectioned cores sampled from the study areas the ranges for activity concentrations of 226Ra, total 210Pb and unsupported 210Pb are 24-77; 39-344 and 4-313 Bq kg(-1), respectively. Corresponding ranges for reference site are 37-39; 39-122 and 1-83 Bq kg(-1).     

Spatial and temporal distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments of the Nansi Lake, China

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in surface sediments and dated core sediments from the Nansi Lake of China to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics. The concentrations of 16 kinds priority PAH compounds were determined by GC-MS method. And ²¹⁰Pb isotope dating method was used to determine the chronological age of the sediment as well as the deposition rate. The results indicated that the total PAHs concentration ranges in surface and core sediment samples were 160 ~32,600 and 137 ~ 693 ng/g (dry wt.), respectively. The sediment rate and the average mass sedimentation were calculated to be 0.330 cm·year^???1 and 0.237 g·cm^???2·yr^???1 and the sediment time of the collected core sample ranged from 1899 to 2000. The peak of PAH concentrations came at recent years. The source analysis showed PAHs mainly came from the contamination of low temperature pyrogenic processes, such as coal combustion. The PAHs concentrations were lower than ERL and LEL values for most collected samples. However, in several surface sediment samples especially in estuary sites, the PAHs concentrations were not only higher than ERL and LEL values, but also higher than ERM values.     

Nickel and Cadmium Concentrations in Plasma and Na+/K+ATPase Activities in Erythrocyte Membranes of the People Exposed to Cement Dust Emissions

The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of nickel and cadmium in blood plasma of the people exposed to cement dust emissions and to investigate the effects of exposure period on the activities of Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase enzymes in their erythrocyte membranes. The study was carried out on people living in Eskiehir Çukurhisar rural area, located near a cement factory. Blood samples of the individuals residing in this area were taken from 80subjects (30 for control) following a physical examination. The analysis of plasma samples showed that nickel concentrations in subject group were found to be significantly higher than those of the control group (p < 0.001). Cadmium concentrations were found to be within the reference values for both group and no difference was found between the subjects and controls (p > 0.05). Furthermore, no correlation was observed between the levels of Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase activity in erythrocyte membranes of the subject group and the ages of people living in the region (p > 0.05, r = 0.133). It was also observed that nickel concentrations increased by age (p < 0.001, r = 0.646) while no effect was observed in means of cadmium. Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase activities in the erythrocyte membranes were not affected.In conclusion although there was no difference between the Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase activity in means of age, there was an environmental pollution and may be it was due to the industrial plant.     

深圳市大气中PCDD/Fs污染水平初步研究

目的:了解深圳市大气中二噁(PCDD/Fs)的污染水平和分布特征。方法:利用大流量空气采样器分别采集6个采样点的空气样品,每个采样点采集两个平行样品。参照美国环保总局(US EPA Method TO-9A)二噁的检测方法,通过高分辨气相色谱-高分辨双聚焦磁式质谱仪(HRGC/HRMS)对大气样品中17种具有毒性当量因子(TEF)的单体进行了定性和定量分析。结果:∑PCDD/Fs的浓度范围为0.23～11.88pg/m3(平均值为3.84 pg/m3)。毒性当量浓度范围为0.014～0.29 pg I-TEQ/m3(平均值为0.135 pg I-TEQ/m3)。OCDD、HpCDD、HpCDF、OCDF、HxCDF是丰度较大的单体,分别占总浓度的48.21%、15.85%、11.37%、7.40%、6.59%。PCDDs和PCDFs单体浓度(除OCDF之外)均随氯原子取代个数的增加而增大。2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF对总的毒性当量贡献最大,占总毒性当量浓度的38.87%。六个采样点中有三个地点二噁同系物分布显示了"源"的特征,而另外三个地点则显示了"汇"的特征。成人的PCDD/Fs暴露量为0.0023～0.047 pg I-TEQ/kg.day;儿童PCDD/Fs暴露量为0.0052～0.11 pg I-TEQ/kg.day。结论:深圳市大气样品中二噁浓度低于国内一些城市研究水平,而高于日本、欧美国家的研究水平。     

Suitability of selected bioindicators of atmospheric pollution in the industrialised region of Ostrava,Upper Silesia,Czech Republic

This study is a continuation of our preceding research identifying suitable environmental samples for the tracing of atmospheric pollution in industrial areas. Three additional types of environmental samples were used to characterise contamination sources in the industrial area of Ostrava city, Czech Republic. The region is known for its extensive metallurgical and mining activities. Fingerprinting of stable Pb isotopes was applied to distinguish individual sources of anthropogenic Pb. A wide range of ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ratios was observed in the investigated samples: ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb = 1.168–1.198 in mosses; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb = 1.167–1.215 in soils and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb = 1.158–1.184 in tree cores. Black and brown coal combustion, as well as metallurgical activities, is the two main sources of pollution in the area. Fossil fuel burning in industry and households seems to be a stronger source of Pb emissions than from the metallurgical industry. Concentration analyses of tree rings showed that a significant increase in As concentrations occurred between 1999 and 2016 (from 0.38 mg kg^?1 to 13.8 mg kg^?1). This shift corresponds to the use of brown coal from Bílina, Czech Republic, with an increased As concentration. The burning of low-quality fuels in households remains a problem in the area, as small ground sources have a greater influence on the air quality than do industrial sources.     

Heavy Metal Concentrations in and Around Households Near a Secondary Lead Smelter

Housedusts and garden soils were sampled in 14 houses in the vicinity of a secondary Pb smelter and analysed for concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, As, and Hg. Sixty-one topsoil samples were also taken from a 2 km² grid covering the smelter grounds and surrounding residential areas and analysed for concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu. Contour maps generated from the grid data indicate significant contamination in the area (maximum Pb concentration 58 500 g g^-1), particularly down-wind of the smelter grounds. A geometric mean Pb concentration of 2225 g g^-1 was recorded in garden soil and similarly elevated levels were recorded for Zn, Cd, As and Sb. In housedusts, a geometric mean Pb concentration of 1668 g g^-1 was observed. Whilst housedust metal concentrations were generally elevated, compared to other urban or residential areas, there appears to be a large degree of attenuation of the metals between the exterior and interior environments of the homes studied. A significant correlation was not recorded between metal concentrations of garden soils and housedusts. There were significant correlations for: distance from the smelter against garden soil metal concentrations; garden soil metal concentrations against each other; housedust metal concentrations against each other; and house age against garden soil metal concentrations.     

Atmospheric PAH concentrations in fine and coarse particles

Measurements of the urban air concentrations of PAHsassociated with PM2.5-fine and PM10-coarse particles inChicago on the campus of IIT were achieved using a UniversalAir Sampler. Short sampling time (12 hr) and high flowrates were used to measure the PAH concentrations in fineand coarse particles. Measured ambient concentrations ofPAHs were classified based on wind direction and backtrajectory calculations as Land and Lake samples.Differences in ambient concentrations of PAHs were observedbetween Land and Lake samples. Fine particle concentrationsvaried from 9.5 to 25.7 ng m^-3 and averaged18.2 ng m^-3 for the Land samples, while they ranged from4.2 to 31.5 ng m^-3 and averaged 13.4 ng m^-3 for the Lake samples. The measured PAH concentrationsin coarse particles varied from 6.2 to 22.1 ng m^-3 and averaged 12.9 ng m^-3 for the Land samples, andthey ranged from 2.4 to 13.0 ng m^-3 with an average value of 7.3 ng m^-3 for the Lake samples. The fine/coarse ratio of each individual PAH compound varied between1.3 and 2.7 for the Land samples; it varied between 1.6 and 4.2 for the Lake samples. There was an increase in the fine/coarse ratio of PAH as molecular weight of the compound increases for both Land and Lake samples.     

Evaluation of the Trend of Air Quality in Taipei, Taiwan from 1994 to 2003

The data collected from the five air quality monitoring stations established by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (TEPA) in Taipei City were analyzed to assess the changes in air quality. The analyses reveal that the air quality in Taipei City improved over the last decade from 1994 to 2003, as evidenced by the significant downward trends of the various primary air pollutant concentrations, such as CO, NO_X, SO₂, and PM₁₀. An air pollution fee was collected by TEPA in 1995, and several air pollution control measures were likewise taken to improve the air quality in Taiwan. However, although the extreme daily maximum O₃ concentrations occurred more frequently in earlier years and showed a downward trend, its moderately high concentrations increased annually in recent years. It implied that after the reduction of various primary pollutant concentrations, the effective reduction of O₃ pollution still remains an important issue.     

乌鲁木齐采暖期TSP、PM10、PM5、PM2.5中重金属污染水平评价

采用石墨炉原子吸收分光光度法、双道原子荧光光谱法研究乌鲁木齐市采暖期前期与后期不同粒径大气颗粒物(TSP、PM_(10)、PM_5、PM_(2.5))中Hg、As、Zn、Pb、Ni等5种重金属元素的质量浓度,并对重金属污染水平进行评价。Hg质量浓度为0.3~5.7 ng/m3;As质量浓度为15.3~122.5 ng/m~3;Zn质量浓度为298.0~1 686.5 ng/m~3;Pb质量浓度为0.5~88.8 ng/m~3;Ni质量浓度为10.4~25.5 ng/m~3。Igeo计算得出采暖期后期的TSP、PM_(10)、PM_5、PM_(2.5)中各重金属Igeo值均高于采暖期前期,其中Hg元素为严重污染;富集因子分析得出Hg、Zn元素的EFi值大于10,说明这些元素是人为源贡献。通过研究乌鲁木齐市不同时期、不同粒径大气颗粒物中各种重金属污染状况,为乌鲁木齐大气污染治理提供科学支持。     

Derivation and Use of Sediment Quality Guidelines for Ecological Risk Assessment of Metals and Radionuclides Released to the Environment from Uranium Mining and Milling Activities in Canada

The Screening Level Concentration (SLC) approach was used to derive Lowest Effect Level (LEL) and Severe Effect Level (SEL) concentrations for nine metals (As, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mo, Ni, Se, U and V) and three radionuclides (²²⁶Ra, ²¹⁰Pb, and ²¹⁰Po) released to the aquatic environment during the mining and milling of uranium ore. This method was chosen because it allowed for the best use of the considerable historical and current data collected for diverse purposes in the uranium mining and milling regions of Canada (20,606 data points used in the analysis). Except for Cr, all the LELs derived in this study using the weighted method and published sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) were highly reliable (> 85%) in predicting sites unimpacted by uranium mining/milling defined as sites where reductions in the abundance and species richness of benthic invertebrate communities were < 20%. The derived SEL values and corresponding published SQGs (with the exception of Ni) were not reliable predictors (≤60%) of severe impacts on benthic invertebrate communities when severe impacts are defined as a reduction in abundance and species richness ≥40%. Most of the severely impacted sites had sediment contaminant concentrations well below the SEL values. It is concluded that LELs derived using the weighted method can reliably be used in ecological risk assessments as concentrations below which adverse effects on benthic invertebrate communities are not expected. In contrast, it is recommended that SELs not be used in assessments of uranium mining/milling activities as concentrations above which adverse effects are anticipated.     

Monitoring of Criteria Air Pollutants in Bursa, Turkey

The concentrations of criteria air pollutants such as CO, NO_x (NO + NO₂), SO₂ and PM were measured in the period of May 2001 and April 2003 in the city of Bursa, Turkey. The average concentrations for this period were 1115±1600 μg/m³, 29±50 μg/m³, 51±24 μg/m³, 79±65 μg/m³, 40±35 μg/m³, 98±220 μg/m³, for CO, NO, NO₂, NO_x, SO₂ and PM, respectively. Temporal changes in concentrations were analyzed using meteorological factors. Correlations among pollutant concentrations and meteorological parameters showed weak relations nearly in all data. Lower concentrations were observed in the summer months while higher concentrations were measured in the winter months. The increase in winter concentrations was probably due to residential heating. Pollutants were associated with each other in order to have information about their origin. NO_x/SO₂ ratio was also examined to bring out the source origin contributing on air pollution (i.e., traffic or stationary).     

Evaluating the Applicability of Regulatory Leaching Tests for Assessing Lead Leachability in Contaminated Shooting Range Soils

The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) is the current US-EPA standard protocol to evaluate metal leachability in wastes and contaminated soils. However, application of TCLP to assess lead (Pb) leachability from contaminated shooting range soils may be questionable. This study determined Pb leachability in the range soils using TCLP and another US-EPA regulatory leaching method, synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP). Possible mechanisms that are responsible for Pb leaching in each leaching protocol were elucidated via X-ray diffraction (XRD). Soil samples were collected from the backstop berms at four shooting ranges, with Pb concentrations ranging from 5,000 to 60,600 mg kg⁻¹ soil. Lead concentrations in the TCLP leachates were from 3 to 350 mg l⁻¹, with all but one soil exceeding the USEPA non-hazardous waste disposal limit of 5 mg l⁻¹. However, continued dissolution of metallic Pb particles from spent Pb bullets and its re-precipitation as cerussite (PbCO₃) prevented the TCLP extraction from reaching equilibrium at the end of the standard leaching period (18 h). Thus, the standard one-point TCLP test would either over- or under-estimate Pb leachability in shooting range soils. Lead concentration in the SPLP leachates ranged from 0.021 to 2.6 mg l⁻¹, with all soils above the USEPA regulatory limit of 0.015 mg l⁻¹. In contrast to TCLP, SPLP leaching had reached equilibrium, with regard to both pH and Pb concentrations, within the standard 18 h leaching period, and the analytical SPLP results were in good agreement with those derived from modeling. Thus, we concluded that SPLP is a more appropriate alternative than TCLP for assessing lead leachability in range soils.     

灌河口海域沉积物中PAHs的垂直分布及生态危害研究

2011年4月通过GC-MS检测和210Pb测年对灌河口海域沉积物(GHES)中的PAHs进行了分析,柱状沉积物中21种PAHs总浓度为21.0~209.0 ng/g,均值为88.1 ng/g,7种致癌PAHs浓度为7.0~90.0 ng/g,其中致癌剂苯并[a]芘浓度为ND~2.0 ng/g。PAHs浓度与沉积物中有机质含量呈低度正相关,与p H无明显相关性。源解析表明,近50年来GHES中的PAHs大部分来自煤和生物质燃烧。近50年来,总PAHs和16种优控PAHs浓度在波动中升高;近年来苊、苊烯、苯并[b]荧蒽、荧蒽、茚并[1,2,3-cd]芘的浓度增高,需查明来源。生态风险评价表明,GHES中以芴为主的负面生物毒性效应会偶尔发生。芴、苯并[b]荧蒽、苯并[k]荧蒽的浓度介于临界与偶然效应浓度值之间,应尽量减少对该海域沉积物的搅动,防止污染物再悬浮导致水体的二次污染。