Table of contents

22.02.99

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Table of Contents

Table of contents

1. General background of China and Hong Kong

Pollution- Environmental policy and legislation in China are neither strict nor effectively enforced.- Pollutants from Guangzhou and Shenzhen are washed into Hong Kong’s estuarine waters.- The quality of drinking water and local food supplies are affected. - 2,000 major industrial factories and an estimated 200,000 smaller ones in Hong Kong. - In Hong Kong, agricultural pollution from New Territories is due to rearing of pigs and poultry, the populations of which are currently estimated to be 0.7 million and 7.5 million, respectively. - Hong Kong produces about 24,000 tonnes of solid wastes per day (HKEPD, 1995).- Since 3.5 million people and a large proportion of the industrial base are concentrated around Victoria Harbour of Hong Kong. Sewage and industrial effluents from these sources enter Victoria Harbour with little treatment (Connell et al, 1998).- In Hong Kong, over 25% of the land in the urban area has been gained from reclamation (Morton, 1989). The reduction in water area due to reclamation has reduced the tidal flushing of both Victoria and Tolo Harbours, and exacerbated the problems of pollution due to sewage discharges.

Table 1a. Manufactured persistent organic chemicals in China: Heat Stabilizer

Table 1b. Manufactured persistent organic chemicals in China: Plasticizer

Table 1c. Manufactured persistent organic chemicals in China: Flame Retardant

Table 2. Output of manufactured persistent organic chemicals in China

Table 3. Import & export of persistent organic chemicals in Hong Kong

Table 4. The order of high priority environmental pollutants of China

Table 4. (cont.)

Table 4. (cont.)

The use of persistent organics in China and Hong Kong

3. Case Study – PCBs, PCDDs & PCDFs in China

• Scientific Studies

• Chu S. G., Xi Z. Q., Xu X. B, Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Congeners in Mussel and other Mollusc from Da Chen Island, East China Sea, Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., 55, 682 – 688, 1995 Bio-concentration ranged from 1.40 to 9.34 ?g/kg [PCBs] correlated with distance of sampling sites from the estuary of the river.• Chu S., Xi Z., Xu X. Zhang Y., Xu Y, Induction of Micronuclei in peripheral erythrocytes of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus by polychlorinated biphenyls. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., 57, 179 - 182, 1996 Water polluted by PCBs have a possible mutagenicity of aquatic organisms Increase on the incidence of micronuclei with the increase of [PCB3] and time exposure Suitability of assessing peripheral blood of fish for the induction of micronuclei as a short term test for monitoring environmental genotoxicants

? Xi Z. Q., Chu S. G., Xu X. B., Zhang Y. Y. Xu. Y., Fang Y.P., Li W., Effects of PCBs on the Electrolyte Balance in Blood of Crucian Carp, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Academia Sinica, Beijing, China, (in process) Effect on dielectric concentration balance in the plasma of carp [Na+] ? [K+] ? No observable change in [Ca2+] & [Mg2+]? Zheng M. H., Bao Z. C., Wang K. O., Xu X. B., Levels of PCDDs and PCDFs in the Bleached Pulp from Chinese Pulp and Paper Industry, Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., 59, 90 – 93, 1997 PCDDs in pulp ranged from 140.0 to 390.5 pg/g dry pulp PCDFs in pulp ranged from 7.3 to 80.4 pg/g dry pulp

• Zheng M. H., Bao Z. C., Wang K. O., Xu X. B., Polychlorinated Dibenzo – p Dioxins and Dibenzofurans in lake Sediments from Chinese Schistosomiasis Area, Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., 59, 653 – 656, 1997 Total PCDDs & PCDFs were 15760 ng/g and 2260 ng/g in Na- PCP respectively Levels of PCDDs & PCDFs in lake sediments ranged from 51 to 220 ng/g and 0.3 to 15 ng/g respectively

Table 5. Benzo(a)pyrene concentration in China soil and atmosphere from industrial and non-industrial area

Table 6. PAH concentrations at different diameter of suspended particulate in air

Case Study - PAHs in China

Total PCBs, PCDDs, PCDFs and PAHs in abiotic and biotic samples from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong

Table 7. Concentrationsa of total PCBs and total PAHs in sediments from Victoria Harbour (Connell et al., 1998).

Table 8. Concentrationsa of total PCBs in sediments collected in Hong Kong marine areas (Water Control Zones) during 1995-1996b (Connell et al., 1998)

Table 9. Concentrationsa of total PAHs in sediments collected in Hong Kong marine areas (Water Control Zones) during 1995-1996b (Connell et al., 1998)

Case Study - PCBs and PAHs in HK

7. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water and sediment of South China River

Figure 2. Map of South China showing the sampling locations of sediment and water.

Table 10. Present results compared with Sediment Quality Criteria for organic micro-pollutants (expressed in µg/kg)

Table 11. Present results compared with Water Quality Criteria for organic micro-pollutants (expressed in µg/l)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsin water and sediment of South China river

8. PCBs in freshwater fish and sediments collected from the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong.

Table 12a. Concentrations of PCBs in sediments collected from the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong.

Table 12b. Concentrations of PCBs in fish flesh collected from the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong.

Figure 4. Bioaccumulation of PCBs in different fishes

PCBs in freshwater fish and sediments collected from the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong.

Induction of Cytochrome P4501A1 gene expression in Tilapia exposed to coastal sediment

General Conclusion

Author: Biology Dept.

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