Assessing Toxicities Of Toxic Organic Pollutants In The Sediments From Typical Rivers In Tianjin, China

In this paper, sediment samples from 3 typical rivers which are North Pollution Canal, Yongding New River, and Dagu Pollution Canal in Tianjin, China were collected, and toxicity tests were used to detect aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) effects, estrogen-like effects, and genotoxic effects. Chemical analysis were also used to analyze the concentrations, composition and sources, and bioavailability of Toxic Organic Pollutants.The results show that sediment samples in typical rivers showed obvious effects of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), estrogen-like and genotoxic, which stay a high level compared with the results at home and abroad.The concentrations of PAHs, OCPs, PCBs and PBBs stay a high level compared with the results at home and abroad. PAHs mainly came from sources of petroleum and incomplete combustion of fossil fuels; OCPs mainly from residues in environment, while may also from industrial input and use of lindane; DDTs mainly degradate to DDEs through aerobic degradation; PCBs and PBBs are mainly from industrial waste.Most of BSAFs were much lower than those predicted by equilibrium partitioning theory model, and no significant relationship between BSAFs and logKow for the target contaminants was found. It can be concluded that the bioavailability for most of pollutants in sediments from Yongding New River were lower and varied obviously among different sampling sites.It is difficult to find significant correlation between a particular concentration of pollutants and toxic effects by comparing the chemical analysis and biological testing results, which may be due to the complex interaction of a variety of substances. Further study is necessary in order to determine the relationship between toxic effects and pollutants.