Toxic Levels of PCBs in Soil of I-9 Industrial Area, Islamabad, Pakistan

Soils being one of the biggest environmental entities represent an important reservoir of persistent organic pollutant (POPs) in the terrestrial environment. The fate of contaminated deposited to the surface soils and their toxicological and ecotoxicological threats are important to understand. In order to conduct the study, PCBs contaminated soil samples were drawn from Ko-Ray-She electric repairing transformer workshop, I/9 industrial area, Islamabad. Samples were analyzed for estimation of PCBs concentration by using Dexsil Clor-N- Soil test kit. The PCBs concentrations were found above and below 50 ppm. Sixty % samples had shown 50ppm PCBs concentration which exhibiting alarming situation. PCBs corridor in soil reflect and prelude the level of toxicity in soil. at different position attached to the biphenyl ring structure. And all these congeners are varies from Soil samples were taken by the method of random soil one to another in their chemical and toxicological sampling from the I/9 industrial area, Islamabad, Pakistan. properties. PCBs may oxidize into dioxins and Fifteen soil samples were collected randomly with the help dibenzofurans. That's why it is very difficult to do of tools free of rust and chrome plated for the complete destruction without the danger of generating environmental purposes. Samples were taken from the dioxins and furans (1). depth of 3-10cm. Out of 15 soil samples 12 were taken from The importance of PCBs is its thermally stable and Ko-Ray-She workshop and 3 were taken from the outside excellent electrical insulation property. That's why it is surrounding area of workshop. In total 12 samples of most conventional to use it as dielectric fluid in workshop, 9 samples were drawn from inside lodging of transformers as cooling agent. It is also use as plasticizers workshop and 3 were taken from outside but in the in polymer production, as fungicides for paper and paint premises of workshop. The detail of soil samples are production, as a fixative for microscopy and as additives illustrate in Table 1. in pesticides (2). Besides all these beneficial characters it For the determination of toxic levels in these soil has two most important characteristics that make POPs so samples semi-quantitative tests were conducting with the dangerous is these don't degrade readily and second one help of field test kit named as "Desxil Clor-n-soil PCB it can travel thousands of miles. PCBs are very persistent Screening Kit". readily trans-ported from one sites of contamination to