Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in surface water around Beijing

Contaminant concentrations, sources, seasonal variation, and eco-toxicological risk of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in surface water around Beijing from summer to winter in 2015 and 2016 were investigated. The concentrations of ∑OCPs and ∑PCBs ranged from 9.81 to 32.1 ng L−1 (average 15.1 ± 7.78 ng L−1) and from 7.41 to 54.5 ng L−1 (average 21.3 ± 1.87 ng L−1), respectively. Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs) were the dominated contamination both in aqueous and particulate phase. For PCBs, lower chlorinated PCBs were the major contaminants. Compositions of HCHs, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs), and PCBs indicated that the sources of OCPs and PCBs in water were due to historical usage in the study areas. For OCPs, there was an obvious variation among three seasons, while insignificant change was shown for PCBs. Water quality standards for China’s surface water were not exceeded in this study. Concentrations at Miyun Reservoir, the primary source of drinking water to Beijing, when compared to the USEPA’s criterion for cancer risk was below the level of risk.