[Distribution characteristics and potential risks of phenols in the rainy season surface water from Three Gorges Reservoir].

Forty-seven surface water samples were collected from the main stream and 22 tributaries in area of the Three Gorges Reservoir, 15 phenolic compounds in these samples were analyzed using GC/MS. The results showed that the concentrations of phenolic compounds in the samples from the main stream and tributaries were 52.47 ng x L(-1) and 87.99 ng x L(-1), respectively. The concentrations of non-chlorinated phenols were higher than those of chlorinated phenols in the main stream and tributaries, and so the non-chlorinated phenols were the predominant compounds in these surface water samples. Phenol, o-cresol and 2-nitrophenol were the predominant compounds accounted for 79.1%, 3.7% and 3.6% in the samples from the main stream, respectively. Phenol, o-cresol, 2,6-dichlorophenol and 2-nitrophenol were the main compounds accounted for 77.5%, 5.4%, 3.8% and 2.2% in the samples from the tributaries, respectively. As compared the concentrations of phenol and 2-nitrophenol with the standard limits in The National Environmental Health Risk List, the levels of phenol and 2-nitrophenol were much lower than the standard limits, suggesting negligible risk of phenol and 2-nitrophenol in these samples.