Distribution of Polychlorinated Biphenyls(PCBs) in Suspended Particulate Matters from the Yangtze Estuarine and Coastal Areas
长江口滨岸水体悬浮颗粒物中PCBs分布特征

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in suspended particulate matters (SPMs) from the Yangtze estuary and coastal areas were determined with GC-ECD. The results show that concentrations of PCBs range from 2.5 - 51.5 ng/g, with an average of 13.2 ng/g. PCBs concentrations are higher in SPMs than in surface sediments at most of sampling stations. It was also found that the distribution of PCBs had no significant relationship with grain size and organic matter. In addition, the congeners of PCBs were characterized by less chlorinated compounds, with 2 - 5CB accounting for 74.9% - 100% except at Donghai site, and 2CB was dominant among the congeners of PCBs in all samples, which maybe be related to the history of production and use for PCBs in China. But it was different from the surface sediments that dominated by 3CB, which showed that there was new inputs recently. Compared with the concentration levels of PCBs at other estuarine and coastal areas, it was shown that there existed a moderate level of contamination in the study area.