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Human health risk assessment of soil dioxin/furans contamination and dioxin-like activity determined by ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase bioassay

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Abstract

The major objective of this study was to evaluate the human health risks of agricultural land use conversion to other purposes in Hong Kong, based on the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDD/Fs) and determined dioxin-like activity in soil using ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) bioassay. Hazard quotient showed soils of open burning site (OBS) and electronic waste open burning site (EW (OBS)) exert a relatively higher non-cancer risk on adults (50.9 and 8.00) and children (407 and 64.0) via the pathway of accidental ingestion of soil particles than other types of land use. In addition, the levels of 17 PCDD/Fs congeners in OBS and EW (OBS) soils indicated high and moderate (1654 and 260 in one million people) cancer risks through the above pathway. Furthermore, the biologically derived TCDD concentrations (TEQbio) were also significantly correlated to the chemically derived toxic equivalent concentrations of dioxin-like chemicals (TEQcal (sum of chemically derived 2,3,7,8-TeCDD toxic equivalent concentrations (TEQPCDD/F) and chemically derived dioxin-like PAHs toxic equivalent concentrations (TEQPAH)) (r = 0.770, p <0.05). PCDD/Fs (95.4 to 99.9 %) were the major stressor to the TEQcal in the soil samples, indicating higher concentrations of PCDD/Fs derived from chemical analyses may reflect a higher potency of inducing EROD activity.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Start-up Research Grant for Newly Recruited Professors/(Research) Chair Professors, The Hong Kong Institute of Education (RG24/13-14R) for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Consortium on Health, Environment, Education and Research (CHEER), and Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Tai Po, Hong Kong, China

    Yu Bon Man & Ming Hung Wong

  2. Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China

    Ka Lai Chow

  3. Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Hong Sheng Wang

  4. School of Geography Science and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    **ao Lin Sun

  5. School of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Lin’an, Zhejiang, 311300, China

    Sheng Chun Wu & Ming Hung Wong

  6. Dioxin Analysis Laboratory, and Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China

    Zong Wei Cai & ** Shu Zheng

  7. School of Chemistry & Environment, Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Ministry of Education, Higher Education Mega Center, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Yuan Kang

  8. Department of Environmental Engineering, **an University, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China

    Hui Li & Ming Hung Wong

  9. Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

    John P. Giesy

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  1. Yu Bon Man
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  11. Ming Hung Wong
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Correspondence to Ming Hung Wong.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Man, Y.B., Chow, K.L., Wang, H.S. et al. Human health risk assessment of soil dioxin/furans contamination and dioxin-like activity determined by ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase bioassay. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 5218–5227 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3909-1

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