Evaluation of atmospheric sources of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs around a steel industrial complex in northeast China using passive air samplers

► Levels, seasonal trends of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs around a steel company in China. ► Concentrations of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs in study area were relatively low. ► Local coal combustion would be the main emission sources of PCDD/Fs. The concern about emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) from steel industrial parks has increased in the past decades. In this study, polyurethane foam (PUF)-disk based passive air samples were collected in and around a big steel industrial park of Anshan, Northeast China from June 2008 to March 2009. The levels, seasonal variations and potential sources of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs in the atmosphere around the steel industrial complex were investigated, and potential contribution of these three groups of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from iron and steel production was also assessed. The air concentrations of ∑17PCDD/Fs (summer: 0.02–2.77pgm−3; winter: 0.20–9.79pgm−3), ∑19PCBs (summer: 23.5–155.8pgm−3; winter: 14.6–81.3pgm−3) and ∑13PBDEs (summer: 2.91–10.7pgm−3; winter: 1.10–3.89pgm−3) in this targeted industrial park were relatively low in comparison to other studies, which implied that the industrial activities of iron and steel had not resulted in serious contamination to the ambient air in this area. On the whole, the air concentrations of PCDD/Fs in winter were higher than those of summer, whereas the concentrations of PCBs and PBDEs showed opposite trends. The result from principal component analysis indicated that coal combustion might be the main contributor of PCDD/F sources in this area.