Gridded Field Observations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soils From a Typical County in Shanxi Province, China

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in 128 soil samples collected from Xiangfen County, Shanxi Province, China. Sixteen PAH congeners were identified at high concentrations (89-100 %), with the exceptions of Ace and Acy, and were used for statistical analysis. PAH concentrations ranged from 51.91 to 10,523.58 ng/g with a mean of 722.35 ng/g indicating severe pollution at the sample sites. Four-ring PAHs were predominant followed by 3- and 5-ring PAHs. Coal combustion was found to be the greatest contributor of PAHs to the local environment. An analysis of the spatial distribution of PAHs indicated the presence of relatively high concentrations in the northwest region of the county. A source identification analysis showed that Wulidun in Fencheng Town, Shangbeirong Village in Gucheng Town, and Yandian Village in Xincheng Town were the major sources of PAHs in Xiangfen County. Modeling results indicated that the distance among the sampling sites and these point sources had a large influence on the transfer of PAHs to the soils.