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The levels and composition of persistent organic pollutants in alluvial agriculture soils affected by flooding

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Abstract

The concentrations and composition of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were determined in alluvial soils subjected to heavy flooding in a rural region of Poland. Soil samples (n = 30) were collected from the upper soil layer from a 70-km2 area. Chemical determinations included basic physicochemical properties and the contents of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, 16 compounds). The median concentrations of Σ7PCB (PCB28 + PCB52 + PCB101 + PCB118 + PCB138 + PCB153 + PCB180), Σ3HCH (α-HCH + β-HCH + γ-HCH) and Σ3pp′(DDT + DDE + DDD) were 1.60 ± 1.03, 0.22 ± 0.13 and 25.18 ± 82.70 μg kg−1, respectively. The median concentrations of the most abundant PAHs, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene and benzo[a]pyrene were 50 ± 37, 38 ± 27, 29 ± 30, 45 ± 36 and 24 ± 22 μg kg−1, respectively. Compared with elsewhere in the world, the overall level of contamination with POPs was low and similar to the levels in agricultural soils from neighbouring countries, except for benzo[a]pyrene and DDT. There was no evidence that flooding affected the levels of POPs in the studied soils. The patterns observed for PAHs and PCBs indicate that atmospheric deposition is the most important long-term source of these contaminants. DDTs were the dominant organochlorine pesticides (up to 99 %), and the contribution of the parent pp′ isomer was up to 50 % of the ΣDDT, which indicates the advantage of aged contamination. A high pp′DDE/pp′DDD ratio suggests the prevalence of aerobic transformations of parent DDT. Dominance of the γ isomer in the HCHs implies historical use of lindane in the area. The effect of soil properties on the POP concentrations was rather weak, although statistically significant links with the content of the <0.02-mm fraction, Ctotal or Ntotal were observed for some individual compounds in the PCB group.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support from the NCN grant no. UMO-2011/03/B/ST10/0515 “The role of soil properties in the processes of accumulation of persistent organic contaminants” and the IUNG-PIB programme 1.2 “Assessment of threats to soil environment and mitigation of degradation effects in rural areas” is kindly acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science and Land Conservation, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute, ul. Czartoryskich 8, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland

    Barbara Maliszewska-Kordybach, Bozena Smreczak & Agnieszka Klimkowicz-Pawlas

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  1. Barbara Maliszewska-Kordybach
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  2. Bozena Smreczak
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  3. Agnieszka Klimkowicz-Pawlas
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Correspondence to Barbara Maliszewska-Kordybach.

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Maliszewska-Kordybach, B., Smreczak, B. & Klimkowicz-Pawlas, A. The levels and composition of persistent organic pollutants in alluvial agriculture soils affected by flooding. Environ Monit Assess 185, 9935–9948 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3303-3

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