Environmental and Ecological Engineering | Article | Published 2010-09-01
We measured the concentrations and depth distribution (0-10, 10-20 cm) of 31 PAHs and 12 OPAHs in soils at eleven equidistant sampling points along a 20-km transect in the Angren industrial region (coal mine, power plant, rubber factory, gold mine), Uzbekistan to gain an insight into their concentrations, sources, and fate. Concentrations of all compounds were mostly much higher in the 0e10 cm than in the 10e20 cm layer except in disturbed soil close to the coal mine. Proximity to one of the industrial emitters was the main determinant of PAH and OPAH concentrations. The P31PAHs concentrations correlated positively with the P7 carbonyl-OPAH (r = 0.98, p < 0.01), P5 hydroxyl-OPAH (r = 0.72, p < 0.05), and with industrially emitted trace metals in the topsoil, identifying industrial emissions as their common source. Concentrations of several OPAHs were higher than their parent PAHs, but their vertical distribution in soil suggested only little higher mobility of OPAHs than their corresponding parent PAHs.