Quantification and source identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediment, soil, and water spinach from Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were quantified in sediment, soil, and plant material from Hanoi, Vietnam, and an aquatic production system in peri-urban Hanoi. The sum of the concentration of 16 US-EPA priority PAHs (∑PAH₁₆) ranged between 0.44 and 6.21 mg kg⁻¹ dw in sediment and between 0.26 and 1.35 mg kg⁻¹ dw in soil, with decreasing concentrations from the urban area to the peri-urban area, indicating contributions from urban and industrial sources. Double plots of diagnostic source ratios indicate that PAHs originate from mixed petrogenic and pyrogenic sources, the latter being predominant. The predominance of low molecular weight (LMW) PAHs in the sediment samples suggests that petrogenic sources are more prevalent in the water environment than in the soil. In contrast, high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs dominated in water spinach which probably reflects the plant’s uptake of particle-bound PAHs that originate from pyrogenic sources.