| Based on the second national baseline survey on marine pollution, the concentration, distribution and potential ecological risk of typical organic pollutants in the benthic mussels from the inshore areas of Yellow Sea were determined. The results indicated that, at over 35% of the total sampling sites, the tissue concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons were higher than the Category I (15 000 ng/g) of the national marine biological quality standards, and at the sites near Dalian Bay, the tissue concentrations even exceeded the Category Ⅱ (50 000 ng/g). At minor sites located in Dalian Bay, Weihai and Jiaozhou Bay, relatively high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalate esters (PAEs) occurred, while the concentrations of PAHs and PAEs in mussels at most other sites were low. The dominant median and high rings components indicated pyrolytic procedures as the main source of local PAHs, and DBP and DEHP were the major constitution of phthalate esters. At all the sites, the tissue concentrations of PCBs were generally low (< 10 ng/g). The sites with DDTs concentrations over the Category I of the national quality standards were mainly situated in the southern coasts of Yellow Sea, and the predominant fractions were the metabolites of DDT, i.e., DDD and DDE. p,p′-DDT was detected in mussel species at all the monitoring sites, especially at the sites close to Dalian Bay and Penglai (fraction > 50%), which indicated potential inputs from the neighboring areas. Accordingly, petroleum hydrocarbons and PAHs in mussels at the coastal areas of Dalian Bay, Weihai and Jiaozhou Bay were high, the tissue DDTs levels at the sitesnear Jiaozhou Bay and Haizhou Bay were high, these sea areas had therefore higher ecological risk, and new inputs of DDT in the inshore areas of Dalian Bay and Penglai may threat on the benthic surroundings. |
