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Sources and history of PAHs in lake sediments from oil-producing and industrial areas, northeast China
Sun, L.; Zang, S.Y. & Sun, H.J.
Abstract
Abundance, sources, and historical records of
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment
cores of three lakes located in northeast China were evaluated.
One lake was located in a rural oil field area, one in
an industrial urban oil field area, and the third in an urban
industrialized area without oil field influence. Cores from
each lake were divided into 1-cm sections, dated using
137Cs techniques, and 16 priority PAH compounds were
measured. Total PAH concentrations were greater in
industrial areas than in rural area, regardless of associated
oil production. Only petroleum sources of PAHs were
identified in lakes near oil fields between 1950s and 1980s,
while sources of liquid fossil fuel combustion were persistently
identified in the industrial urban lake. From 1990s
to 2000s, PAH concentrations, especially high molecular
weight PAHs, significantly increased in all lakes, which
were consistent with the economic development in China,
suggesting a change in energy use from wood burning and
petroleum (oil) to liquid fossil fuel combustion. Environmental
risk was low to moderate in sediments of the three
lakes studied, and increases in high molecular weight
PAHs during 1900s–2000s is a concern.
Keywords
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Core sediments; Diagnostic ratios; Pollution history
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