Abstract
The ubiquity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils in petroleum refining areas is an important problem affecting human and ecological safety. In this study, 103 topsoil (0–0.50 m) samples were collected from a retired petroleum refinery area in Guangdong province, south China. The PAHs concentrations were determined by ultrasonic extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry detection methods. Twelve PAHs controlled priority listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) were investigated. The results revealed that the concentration of Ʃ12PAHs ranged from 2100 to 5200 µg kg−1, with a mean value of 3741.66 µg kg−1. The site was dominated by high rings PAHs (4-, 5-, and 6-ring), contributing 81.96% to Ʃ12PAHs. The concentrations of 9 kinds of PAHs exceeded the Dutch soil quality standard. Besides, the PAHs were primarily distributed in the storage tank area and with high levels of contamination. The results of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that coal combustion was the source of PAHs in topsoil, followed by petroleum drip** and traffic emissions. The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) modeling illustrated that soil ingestion was the major pathway of PAH exposure for both adults and children. Notably, the total noncarcinogenic human health risk due to PAHs was within the limit of 1, while the carcinogenic risks alone caused by benzo(a)pyrene via soil ingestion to adults and children were obviously beyond the USEPA limit (1.00E −06). Therefore, PAHs in the petroleum refinery areas have potential carcinogenic hazards to human health, the area should be remediated before reuse.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to National Key Research and Development Program of China (grant No 2018YFC1800306, 2019YFC1805805) and National Natural Science foundation of China (grant No 91644104) for supporting this research. The authors are also thankful to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tian** Normal University for their support of this research. Finally, the authors are also thankful to the anonymous reviewers for their academic comments, which helped to improve the manuscript.
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This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grant No 2018YFC1800306, 2019YFC1805805) and National Natural Science foundation of China (grant No 91644104).
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Ma, W., Hu, J., Li, J. et al. Distribution, source, and health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the soils from a typical petroleum refinery area in south China. Environ Monit Assess 194, 678 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10281-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10281-8