Levels and Profiles of Unintentionally Produced Persistent Organic Pollutants in Surface Soils from Shanxi Province, China

Six species of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutions comprised of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated naphthalenes, hexachlorobenzene and pentachlorobenzene in soils collected from Shanxi province, China were determined. The sum toxic equivalent ranged from 0.14 to 2.20 with an average of 0.94 pg TEQ/g. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans contributed the most toxic proportion to the total toxic equivalent. CB-126 was the most toxic contributor to polychlorinated biphenyls. CN66/67 and CN73 are the dominant toxic congeners to polychlorinated naphthalenes. From the patterns, it was speculated that thermal related industries were possible sources of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutions.