Distribution, source and risk assessment of PAHs in soil of typical substation sites in south Hebei

The concentrations of 16 priority PAHs in soil of 28 typical substation in the south of Hebei province were detected and analyzed. The total concentrations of PAHs in soil of substation ranged from 223.48 to 1681.17μg/kg, with a mean of 443.94μg/kg. The substation was at a slight pollution level for PAHs. The pollution sources and contribution rates have been analyzed using ratio method and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). PAHs was mainly sourced from the oil and its derivatives. The biomass and fossil fuels combustion source contribution rate was 42.1%, and the oil and its derivatives combustion source contribution rate was 57.9%. The results of health risk assessment showed that the carcinogenic risk of PAHs in the substation soil was higher than that of non-cancer. The potential carcinogenic risk sites in the substation under test accounted for 11%, and the main exposure ways of carcinogenic risk were calculated to be oral intake and skin contact. In conclusion, the ecological risk of PAHs in the substation site was at a low level. © 2020, Editorial Board of China Environmental Science. All right reserved.