Dear fellows,

Following my previous message calling for contributing abstract of published
paper, I am very glad to receive a response from Dr. Junliang Zhou. His abstract
is attached at the end of this message. Hope you may follow either with another
abstract or a comment on the two abstracts from myself and Dr. Zhou
respectively. If you are making a comment, please write in the Subject field
with words like "Comment: Abstracts from Zhou et al". If you contribute a new
abstract, please write "Abstract from xxx et al" in the Subject field.

You can always view the posted abstracts at the following website

http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A1=ind0101&L=chem-cscst-uk

If you fail to open this page directly, please visit the main webpage of the
CSCST at the following address

http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/chem-cscst-uk.html

and then click the selection of "January 2001".

Happy reading

GZC

***********************************
Zhou, J.L. et al., (2000) Water Research 34(7) 2132-2150.

Abstract

Xiamen Harbour, In Xiamen Special Economic Zone of the People's Republic of
China, was studied for its water and sediment quality, by determining the levels
of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 12 polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs) and 18 organochlorine insecticides in water, suspended particulate matter
(SPM), pore water and sediment samples from nine stations in the Harbour. Total
PAH concentrations varied from 106 to 945 ng/l in water, <1 to 3548 ng/l in pore
water, and 247 to 480 ng/g dry weight in surficial sediments. Total PCB levels
varied from 0.1 to 1.7 ng/l in water, 2.7 to 34.8 ng/l in pore water, and <0.01
to 0.32 ng/g dry weight in sediments. The levels of all insecticides were in the
range 6.6 - 19.6 ng/l (water), 11.8 - 78.5  ng/l (pore water), and <0.01 - 0.58
ng/g dry weight (sediment). The levels of total hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs) in
sediments varied from <0.01 to 0.14 ng/g dry weight, and those of total DDTs
were in the range <0.01 - 0.06 ng/g dry weight. The micropollutants were present
in higher levels in pore water than in surface water, due possibly to higher
concentrations of dissolved organic carbon or colloids with which the
hydrophobic pollutants are strongly associated. Such a concentration gradient
implies a potential flux of pollutants from sediment pore water to overlying
water. The levels of pollutants in sediments are one to several orders of
magnitude lower than those found in 1993, suggesting their decreased inputs in
recent years in the form of fresh and less contaminated material and possible
degradation over a period of time. Further work is needed to quantify the levels
of these contaminants in suspended particulate matter, which are currently below
the limits of detection.