Abstract
During the past two decades, the rapid development of the Pearl River delta leads to substantial accumulation of various toxic organic compounds. This study aims to give a preliminary characterization of the existing state of contamination in this region and to provide insight into the possible fate of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in this estuary. The available data on POPs in water, river, estuarine sediments, soil, and marine organisms within the Pearl River delta are compiled. It is shown that it may lead to transboundary POP pollution problems at both Hong Kong and Macau Special Administration Regions located at the downstream end of the region. It is noted that the levels of DDTs and HCHs in various environmental media are at alerting levels and that fresh DDT might still be applied illegally within the region. A systematic research is required to determine both the temporal and spatial variations of all POPs in various carrying media of the Pearl River delta as a whole.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 960-965 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Marine Pollution Bulletin |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue number | 8-12 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Nov 2005 |
Keywords
- Aquatic ecosystem
- Pearl River delta
- POP contamination
- South China
- Toxicology characterization
- Transboundary
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Aquatic Science
- Oceanography
- Pollution
