Occurrence and human non-dietary exposure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils from Shenzhen, China

Abstract

Twenty eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined for a total of 203 top soil samples collected from eight different land categories in Shenzhen, China during the winter of 2007. The concentrations, compositional profile, and the potential sources of PAHs in soil were discussed. Overall, PAH pollution in the soil of Shenzhen is still in the low-end of the world after 30 years rapid urbanization. Based on that, human exposure to soil PAHs via inhalation and soil particle intake were estimated as well. The concentrations of Σ₂₈PAHs in Shenzhen soil ranged from 2.68 to 17 767 ng g⁻¹ (average: 546 ng g⁻¹). The highest levels of PAHs were found in the traffic land (average: 2104 ng g⁻¹) and the lowest concentrations were detected in forest land (average: 144 ng g⁻¹) in eight land categories. PAH isomeric ratios indicated that PAHs in Shenzhen soil were mainly derived from combustion. In the current pollution levels in Shenzhen, children aged 0 to 8 were the most sensitive sub-group of exposure to PAHs (59.2 ng (kg d)⁻¹), and the exposure to PAHs for males (36.2 ng (kg d)⁻¹) was more serious than for females (32.7 ng (kg d)⁻¹). Inhalation was the major way of non-dietary exposure (over 96%).