Levels of NP and BPA in the Pearl River Estuary, China: Fluctuations with Country Policy Changes over the Past 40 Years

Qi Chen, Yu Lan, Jian Shi, Weijie Liu, Bo Zhu, Dong Sun and Shunshan Duan
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Qi Chen: Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Yu Lan: Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Jian Shi: Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Weijie Liu: South China Institute of Environmental Science, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China, Guangzhou 510530, China
Bo Zhu: School of Life Science and Engineering, State Defense Key Laboratory of the Nuclear Waste and Environmental Security, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
Dong Sun: Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Shunshan Duan: Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-17

Abstract: Sediment cores were collected from four outlets in the Pearl River Estuary (Guangdong Province, China) and dated using the 210 Pb method to investigate the pollution history of the area due to its relatively stable sedimentation status and hydrographic conditions in recent decades. The ages of the sediment cores were dated over 40 years (1968–2015). The concentrations at the four outlets ranged from 2.21 to 48.52 ng g −1 dw for nonylphenol and were non-detectable for 23.64 ng g −1 dw for bisphenol A (BPA), which exhibited a decreasing trend from north to south as well as seaward. The fluxes (2.84 to 112.91 ng cm −2 yr −1 and non-detectable to 59.33 ng cm −2 yr −1 for nonylphenol and bisphenol A, respectively) stabilized in the 1980s to 1990s due to the construction of sewage treatment systems. The fluxes increased again in the 21st century, which reached a peak ca. 2010 but declined in recent years due to the establishment of regulations and the decreasing number of industrial enterprises. Fluctuations in the pollution composition coincided with industrial development and governmental policies.

Keywords: nonylphenol; bisphenol A; dry mass sedimentation rates; historical trends; Pearl River Estuary (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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