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Distribution, sources and potential risk of HCH and DDT in soils from a typical alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta region, China

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Abstract

Spatial distribution, sources and potential health risks of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), including hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), in surface soils (n = 544) collected from a typical alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta region, China, were elucidated. Concentrations of ΣHCH and ΣDDT in soils ranged from less than the limit of detection (<LOD) to 99.0 ng g−1, dry weight (dw) (mean 3.23 ng g−1 dw) and <LOD to 600 ng g−1 dw (mean 88.8 ng g−1 dw), respectively. Historical applications of HCH and DDT were the major sources of the residue in soils. HCH was mainly distributed in Anthrosols in the southern part of the watershed, while DDT was mainly distributed in Cambosols in the northern part. The 95 % cumulative probability incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCRs) of different age groups such as children, youths, and adults all exceeded the acceptable risk level of 10−6 recommended by USEPA for carcinogenic chemicals. The spatial distributions of ∑ILCRs were consistent with concentrations of OCPs in soils, while they were slight different for the different age groups. Adult females had the greatest risk of OCPs in soils, followed by children, while youths had the least risk. The ingestion of OCPs in soils was the more important route of exposure compared with dermal and inhalation exposures. The concentration of OCPs in soils, the particulate emission factor, the fraction of dermal exposure ratio, and the soil ingestion rate were the major contributing variables to total ILCRs according to sensitivity analyses.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41101491 and no. U1202236), the frontier project of the knowledge innovation engineering field of Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISSASIP1106), and the Special Research Foundation of the Public Natural Resource Management Department from the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China (201109018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Wenyou Hu, Biao Huang, Yongcun Zhao & Weixia Sun

  2. Zhangjiagang County Extension Station of Agricultural Techniques, Zhangjiagang, 215600, Jiangsu Province, China

    Zhiquan Gu

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  1. Wenyou Hu
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  2. Biao Huang
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Correspondence to Biao Huang.

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Hu, W., Huang, B., Zhao, Y. et al. Distribution, sources and potential risk of HCH and DDT in soils from a typical alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta region, China. Environ Geochem Health 36, 345–358 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-013-9554-7

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