Detection and Risk Assessment of PCBs from a Potable Water Source in a County in Eastern China

To study the influence of endocrine disrupter polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) in a drinking water source in a rural area of China on human health, water samples were collected separately from deep wells, shallow wells, and surface ditches in a county in the Eastern China. The PCBs of the water samples were analyzed by using SPE and GC-MS combination. The results showed that only pentachlorobiphenyl was detected among the PCB homologs in the studied drinking water source. The detectable rate was 100%. The mass concentration ranges of pentachlorobiphenyl in deep wells, shallow wells and surface ditches were: 0.51-82.99 ng/L, 0.51-44.16 ng/L and 1.78-34.36 ng/L, respectively. The mean concentration of pentachlorobiphenyl during the low water period was higher than that of the high flow period. The concentration of pentachlorobiphenyl during the low water period was the highest, and it exceeded the standard by 3.15 times. During the high flow period,the highest point derived from the surface ditch exceeded the st