Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls in soil around three typical industrial sites in Beijing, China.

We investigated three locations in Beijing, China, containing different industrial plants that may cause pollution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The highest soil concentration of 1,000 pg g(-1) (dry wt) was found in the chemical plant. The concentrations of ΣPCBs tended to decrease with distance from each of the investigated sites. The principal component analysis demonstrated that there were not substantial differences in PCB homologue patterns among these industrial sites. Tri-CBs and tetra-CBs were the dominant congeners. Based on the data obtained in this investigation, further study of the emission of PCBs from these industrial sites in Beijing is warranted.