School of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea.
Institute for Environment and Energy, Pusan National University, Busan 46083, Republic of Korea.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Sep;206:116764. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116764. Epub 2024 Jul 25.
Comprehensive studies simultaneously investigating the occurrence of chemicals of concern are limited. In this study, sediments and bivalves were collected from 24 locations along the Korean coast to evaluate the relative distribution, contamination characteristics, and ecological risks of legacy/emerging persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Our findings reveal that the concentrations of these contaminants were comparable to or lower than historical levels in the same Korean coast and other Asian countries. Notably, PAHs exhibited the highest distribution in sediments (84 %), whereas short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) were dominant in bivalves (91 %). This study highlighted significant correlations in the sediment levels of each legacy pollutants, suggesting similar sources and geochemical behaviors. However, SCCPs displayed unique contamination patterns. Ecologically, PAHs and SCCPs presented low risks in sediments compared to Canadian Sediment Quality Guidelines, however 100 % and 33 % of bivalves, respectively, exceeded US EPA/Canadian Fish Tissue Guidelines.
综合研究同时调查关注的化学品的发生是有限的。在这项研究中，从韩国沿海的 24 个地点收集了沉积物和双壳类动物，以评估遗留/新兴持久性有机污染物 (POPs) 和多环芳烃 (PAHs) 的相对分布、污染特征和生态风险。我们的研究结果表明，这些污染物的浓度与同一韩国沿海地区和其他亚洲国家的历史水平相当或更低。值得注意的是，PAHs 在沉积物中分布最高 (84%)，而短链氯化石蜡 (SCCPs) 在双壳类动物中占主导地位 (91%)。本研究强调了每种遗留污染物在沉积物水平上的显著相关性，表明存在相似的来源和地球化学行为。然而，SCCPs 表现出独特的污染模式。在生态方面，与加拿大沉积物质量指南相比，PAHs 和 SCCPs 在沉积物中呈现低风险，但分别有 100%和 33%的双壳类动物超过了美国环保署/加拿大鱼类组织指南。
