Trace metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in the surface sediments from Sanya River, China: Distribution, sources and ecological risk.

The urban inland river ecosystems are now facing comprehensive pollution and governance pressures. Up to now, few works related to the multiple pollution assessment of trace metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) for the urban inland river sediments have been reported in China. Our study investigated the spatial distribution, ecological risk and potential sources of trace metals, PAHs and PCBs in surface sediment collected from 20 sampling sites of Sanya River, Hainan Province, China.

[Distribution, Source, and Ecological Risk Evaluation of the PAHs and PCBs in the Sediments from Sanya River].

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), two typical persistent organic pollutants, are the research focus due to their mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, teratogenesis, and bioaccumulation. The content distribution and residual characteristics of PAHs and PCBs were investigated in the sediments from the Sanya River. Source apportionment was further explored based on the analysis of the spatial distribution, and the ecological risk evaluation was carried out with the sediment quality criteria and standards.