Abstract:
Concentrations and distribution of 10 PBBs (polybrominate biphenyls, i.e. PBB-3, PBB-15, PBB-18, PBB-52, PBB-101, PBB-153, PBB-180, PBB-194, PBB-206 and PBB-209) in the soils at a typical e-waste disposal site and its surroundings were analyzed sequentially using the method of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrography (GC-MS).Results show that e-wastes caused PBB pollution, similar in extent, to the site and the surrounding area, with total PBB content in the soil averaging 2.81×10
-3 and 2.50×10
-3 mg•kg
-1, respectively, reflecting a lower pollution level Of the ten PBBs, PBB-153, PBB-194, PBB-206 and PBB-209 were the main pollutants because they arehave been commonly used. The distribution of total PBBs along the soil profile showed a decreasing order of 40-60, > 0-20 ,> 20-40 > 60-80 cm. PBB-209 was the major one, being the highest in proportion. So that, in monitoring PBBs pollution in similar regions, it is advisable to determine the content of PBB-209 alone and then multiply the result by empirical coefficient 1.78. Such method is adequate for reflecting the PBBs pollution of the regions.