Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in suspended particulate matters from the Yangtze estuarine and coastal areas

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in suspended particulate matters (SPMs) from the Yangtze estuary and coastal areas were determined with GC-ECD. The results show that concentrations of PCBs range from 2.5-51.5 ng/g, with an average of 13.2 ng/g. PCBs concentrations are higher in SPMs than in surface sediments at most of sampling stations. It was also found that the distribution of PCBs had no significant relationship with grain size and organic matter. In addition, the congeners of PCBs were characterized by less chlorinated compounds, with 2-5 CB accounting for 74.9%-100% except at Donghai site, and 2CB was dominant among the congeners of PCBs in all samples, which may be related to the history of production and use for PCBs in China. But it was different from the surface sediments that dominated by 3 CB, which showed that there was new inputs recently. Compared with the concentration levels of PCBs at other estuarine and coastal areas, it was shown that there existed a moderate level of contamination in the study area.