Characterization and distribution of PAHs in surface sediments of Daliao River, China

The concentrations of 16 priority pollutant PAHs in the samples of Daliao River were analyzed by a method based on Soxhlet extraction, solid-phase extraction clean-up and high performance liquid chromatography-programmable fluorescence/ultra violet detection. The total concentrations of PAHs in Daliao River ranged from 267.9 ng/g to 9,212 ng/g. The highest concentration of PAHs was 9,212 ng/g at the Station 24 (Anshan Railroad Bridge), and the lowest 267.9 ng/g at the Station 19 (Estuary). Compared with the total concentrations of PAHs of rivers in other parts of the world, the degree of contamination of Daliao River by PAHs was moderate to high. Specific compounds or groups of PAHs have been used as molecular markers to differentiate petrogenic and pyrogenic origin. The results showed that the main sources of PAHs in Daliao River were pyrolytic inputs such as combustion of coal, wood and petrogenic chemicals. The data was also compared by mean of two guideline values, an effects range-low (ER-L) and effects range-medium (ER-M), to assess the potential biological effects of the sediment adsorbed PAHs. It showed that the PAHs in some sites of Daliao River would exert adverse biological effects.