National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania.
National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Aug 15;886:163967. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163967. Epub 2023 May 8.
Some organic pollutants including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been banned from production worldwide, but due to their toxicity and persistence are still of concern. Also, unintentional by-products of combustion and industrial processes such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), represent a permanent threat to the safety of the environment and the population. In this study, surface sediment samples from the middle and lower Olt River Basin (ORB), Romania, including dams, the main tributaries and the confluence with Danube River were collected during seasonal sampling campaigns in 2019 and analyzed for 13 OCPs, 12 PCBs and 15 PAHs in order to evaluate the impact of the main anthropogenic activities in the area (industrial activities and agriculture) and the ecological status of the ORB. The registered levels of OCPs, PCBs and PAHs in surface sediments varied from low to significantly polluted environments, indicating a clear spatial distribution between sites based on concentrations and congener profiles correlated with the influence of anthropogenic activities in the surrounding area. Based on some molecular diagnostic ratio and multivariate statistical analysis, both non-point sources and point sources deposition by surface runoff or atmospheric deposition were identified. Overall, the contamination profile of the study area reveals significant amounts of organochlorine compounds, resulting from the industrial production of chlorinated products, including lindane, but also from the long-term agricultural use of both HCHs and DDTs, more than half of the sites having levels that pose a potential risk for benthic organisms. Therefore, levels of POPs in the hot-spots sampling locations raise numerous concerns about the safety of the environment and the population in the region, requiring immediate actions.
一些有机污染物，包括有机氯农药 (OCPs) 和多氯联苯 (PCBs)，已在全球范围内被禁止生产，但由于其毒性和持久性仍令人担忧。此外，燃烧和工业过程的无意副产品，如多环芳烃 (PAHs)，对环境和人口的安全构成了永久性威胁。在这项研究中，2019 年在季节性采样活动中采集了罗马尼亚奥尔托河中下游流域 (ORB) 的表层沉积物样本，包括水坝、主要支流和与多瑙河的汇合处，用于分析 13 种 OCPs、12 种 PCB 和 15 种 PAHs，以评估该地区主要人为活动（工业活动和农业）的影响以及 ORB 的生态状况。表层沉积物中 OCPs、PCBs 和 PAHs 的登记水平从低到严重污染环境不等，表明根据与周围地区人为活动影响相关的浓度和同系物分布，各采样点之间存在明显的空间分布。基于一些分子诊断比和多元统计分析，确定了非点源和通过地表径流或大气沉积的点源沉积。总的来说，研究区域的污染状况显示出大量的有机氯化合物，这些化合物是由氯化产品的工业生产产生的，包括林丹，也来自 HCHs 和 DDTs 的长期农业使用，超过一半的地点的水平对底栖生物构成潜在风险。因此，热点采样地点的 POPs 水平引起了人们对该地区环境和人口安全的诸多关注，需要立即采取行动。
