Supplementary Material

Manuscript Title: / Solution by dilution? - A review on the pollution status of the Yangtze River
Authors: / Tilman Floehr1* & Hongxia Xiao1*, Björn Scholz-Starke1, Lingling Wu2, Junli Hou3, Daqiang Yin2, Xiaowei Zhang4, Rong Ji4, Xinzhong Yuan5, Richard Ottermanns1, Martina Roß-Nickoll1, Andreas Schäffer1,4, Henner Hollert1,5
Institute: / 1Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
2Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, P.R.China
3East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Shanghai 200090, P.R. China
4State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Research Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P.R. China
5College of Resources and Environmental Science, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, P.R. China
Authors email: / ,
,

Tables: / 9
No. of Pages: / 20

Definitions of the geographical regions in the Yangtze River Drainage Basin

Jinsha River: The Yangtze River from Yushu (Qinghai Province) to Yibin in Sichuan province is called the Jinsha River, which has a total length of 3,496 km.

Tuotuo River: The Yangtze River arises from glaciers south of the Geladandong Mountain in Qinghai province and flows west for 343km where it meets with another origin river Danqu and forms the Tongtian River.

Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR):Three Gorges Reservoir stretches along the upstream of the Yangtze River from the boundary of Chongqingmunicipality to Sandouping/Yichang city in Hubeiprovince.

Yangtze Estuary: The YangtzeEstuary occupies 700 km of the river’s 6,300 km length (Fig 1). Chongming Island ramifies the estuary into the South Branch and the North Branch. The South Branch constitutes the main stream of the estuary and receives above 95% of the total estuarine runoff, whereas the North Branch accounts for only about 5%. The main stream of the southern branch is divided into the south channel and north channel by Changxing Island. There are more than 30 branches in the Yangtze estuary, such as Baimao River, Yanglingtang River, Liuhe River, Gujing River, Huangpu River, Xinjianghai River and so on. The longest branch is Huangpu River. The sedimentation rate of the Yangtze estuary is 6.3-6.6 cm yr-1(Wang et al. 2012b).

Yangtze River Delta: including Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang province of China. The Yangtze River drains into the East China Sea. It covers an area of 99,600 km2 and is home to over 105 million people as of 2010, of which an estimated 80 million is urban.

Water Period:In general, the water of the River is at the lowest level in the dry season (December to April), at the highest level in rainy season (from July to September, potential flood events), and at the middle level in normal seasons (May to June and October to November)(Sun et al. 2002).

Table S1:Concentrations of PAHs in water and sediments from the Yangtze River and other water bodies in the world

Number of papers -Total papers: 21;PAHs in the Yangtze River: 15 (Water: 7;Sediment: 10)

Location / Sampling date / Na / Ʃ PAHs / Benzo[a]pyrene / Reference
Water (ng/L)
Yangtze River Drainage Basin
Jinsha River (2002) / 2002/08 / 16 / 2.1×104-3.83×105(Ø 1.06×105 / n.d. / (Huang et al. 2003)
Three Gorges Reservoir (2008) / 2008/05 / 16 / 14 -97 / 0.172-1.665 / (Wang et al. 2009)
Jialing River (2009) / 2009/08 / n.a. / 467-988 (Ø721) / 0-5.49 (Ø 2.59) / (Cai et al. 2012b)
Wuhan section(MS)(2005) / 2005/06, 2005/12 / 16 / 322-6,235 (Ø 2,095) / n.d.-214 / (Feng et al. 2007)
Wuhan section(TB)(2005) / 2005/06, 2005/12 / 16 / 242-1,379 (Ø 681) / n.d.-279 / (Feng et al. 2007)
Jiangsu Section (MS)(2004-2005) / 2004/09,2005/01 / 16 / 40-3,345 / n.d.-768 (Ø 256) / (He et al. 2011)
Tai Lake (2008) / 2008/10 / 16 / n.d.-92 / 4 / (Wang et al. 2011)
Yangtze Delta (2010) / 2010/06 / 16 / 12.9-638 (Ø 201) / n.d.-34.5 / (Zhang et al. 2012a)
Tai Lake (2010) / 2010/06 / 16 / 468.7 / 6.8 / (Zhang et al. 2012a)
Yangtze Estuary (SB) (2006) / 2006/02
2006/08 / 16 / 478-5,027 (Ø 1,727)
972-6,273 (Ø 1,988) / 10-11 / (Ou et al. 2009)
Other water bodies
Yellow River (Upper & Middle Reaches) (2007) / 2007/06 / n.a. / 97-477 / 1.6-7.18 / (Zhang & Zhang 2010)
Macao Harbor (2001) / 2001/04 / n.a. / 944-6,655 (Ø 4,124) / 0.01-0.11 / (Luo et al. 2004)
Pearl River(2001) / 2001/10 / n.a. / 987- 2,879 (Ø 1,796) / 0.01-0.02 / (Luo et al. 2004)
Location / Sampling date / Na / ƩPAHs / Benzo[a]pyrene / Reference
Sediments (ng/g, dry weight)
Yangtze River Drainage Basin
Chongqing section (MS) (2009) / 2009/10 / 16 / 256.7-723.1 (Ø 359) / 2.5-9.5 / (Tang et al. 2011)
Jialing River (2009) / 2009/10 / 16 / 131.7-348.8 (Ø 240) / 2.9-3.1 / (Tang et al. 2011)
Nanjing Section (MS)(n.a.) / n.a. / 17b / 213.8-550.32 / 0.06-52.12 / (Xu et al. 2000d)
Wuhan section (MS) (2005) / 2005/06 / 16 / 303-3,995 (Ø 2,032) / 0.7-95.4 (Ø 49.5) / (Feng et al. 2007)
Wuhan section (MS)(2005) / 2005/12 / 16 / 72-1,206 (Ø 497) / n.a. / (Feng et al. 2007)
Wuhan section (TB)(2005) / 2005/06 / 16 / 4,121-4,262 / 1.8-559.6 (Ø 93.8) / (Feng et al. 2007)
Wuhan section (TB)(2005) / 2005/12 / 16 / 31-4,813 (Ø 1,119) / n.a. / (Feng et al. 2007)
Huangpu River (2006) / 2006/10 / 19 c / 313-1,707 (Ø 1,154) / n.a. / (Liu et al. 2008b)
Yangtze Estuary (SB) (1996) / 1996/09 / n.a. / 80-11,740 / n.a. / (Liu et al. 2000)
Yangtze Estuary (2000) / 2000/05, 2000/08 / 10d / 263-6,372 (Ø 1662) / n.a. / (Liu et al. 2001)
Yangtze Estuary (SB) (2004) / 2004/04 / 16 / 84.6-620 (Ø 259) / <0.5-40.5 / (Hui et al. 2009b)
Yangtze Estuary (SB) (2005) / 2005/11 / 19c / 107-633 (Ø 309) / n.a. / (Liu et al. 2008b)
Yangtze Estuary (SB) (2006) / 2006/02, / 16 / 737-1,812 (Ø 1,154) / n.a. / (Ou et al. 2009)
Yangtze Estuary (SB) (2006) / 2006/08 / 16 / 235-1,516 (Ø 605) / n.a. / (Ou et al. 2009)
Yangtze Estuary (2010) / 2010/05, 2010/08 / 16 / 76.9 -2,936.8 (Ø 450) / n.a. / (Wang et al. 2012b)
Yangtze Estuary (2010) / 2010/11 / 16 / 90.14-502.12 (Ø 221) / n.a. / (Li et al. 2012a)
Other water bodies
Yellow River (Lanzhou Reaches) (2005) / 2005/06 / 16 / 1,415 / n.a. / (Yu et al. 2009)
Yellow Estuary (2004) / 2004/08 / 16 / 11-252 (Ø 91) / 0.2-12.5 / (Hui et al. 2009b)
Pearl Estuary (2002) / 2002/06 / 18e / 189-637 (Ø 362) / 4.9-24.9 / (Luo et al. 2006)
Pearl River (1997) / 1997/03 / 16 / 323-14,812 / 76-707 / (Mai et al. 2002)
Macao Harbor (1997) / 1997/03 / 16 / 9,220 / n.a. / (Mai et al. 2002)
San Francisco Bay (1993) / 1993 / 21f / 2,653-27,680 / 150-1,770 / (Pereira et al. 1996)
Abbreviations:16 EPAPAHs: naphthalene (Nap), acenaphthylene (Acy), acenephthene (Ace), fluorene (Fle), phenanthrene (Phe), anthracene (An), fluoranthene (Flu), pyrene (Pyr), benzo(a)anthracene (BaA), chrysene (Chr), benzo(b)fluoranthene (BfF), benzo(k)fluofanthene (BkF), Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene (InD), dibenzo(a,h)anthracene (DahA), benzo(ghi)perylene(BghiP), ƩLMW-sum of two and three-ring PAHs, ƩHMW-sum of four and five ring PAHs
a –Number of PAH congers
b-16 EPA-PAHs + benzo(e)pyrene
c-16 EPA-PAHs + benzo(e) pyrene, perylene, methylnaphthalene
d- Nap, Acy, Ace, Fle, Phe, An, Flu, Pyr, BaA, Chr,
e-16 PAHs + benzo(e)pyrene+benzo(i+k)fluoranthene ,
f-16PAHs+2-methylnaphthalene, 1-methylanphthalene, 2-methylphenanthrene, 1-methylphenanthrene

n.a. - not available; n.d. - not detected; MS – Yangtze River main stream; TB – tributary; SB – south branch; Date: YYYY/MM

Table S2: Concentrations of PCBs in water and sediments from the Yangtze River and other water bodies in the world

Number of papers - Total papers: 16; PCBs in the Yangtze River: 13 (Water: 5; Sediment: 8)

Location / Sampling Date / Na / Ʃ PCBs / Reference
Water (ng/L)
Yangtze River Drainage Basin
Three Gorges Reservoir(2004) / 2004/08, 2005/01 / 12b / n.d.-0.01 (Ø 0.002) / (Chen et al. 2008)
Three Gorges Reservoir(2008) / 2008/05 / 18c / 0.01-1 / (Wang et al. 2009)
Jiangsu Section (MS) (2004-2005) / 2004/09, 2005/01 / 6d / 0.21-44.4 (Ø 11) / (He et al. 2011)
Nanjing Section (MS) (1999) / 1998-1999 / 6d / n.d.-3 / (Sun et al. 2002)
Yangtze Delta (2009) / 2009/04 / 38e / 1-17 / (Zhang et al. 2011)
Other water bodies
Pearl River Delta (2005-2006) / 2005-2006 / 20f / 0.1-2 / (Guan et al. 2009)
Location / Sampling Date / Na / Ʃ PCBs / Reference
Sediments (ng/g)
Yangtze River Drainage Basin
Three Gorges Reservoir (2010) / 2010/11 / 28g / 0.484-3.531 / (Zhao et al. 2013)
Wuhan Section (MS) (2005) / 2005/12 / 39h / 1-45 (Ø 9) / (Yang et al. 2009)
Yangtze Delta (1998) / 1998/05 / 6i / 0.39-11.13 / (Xu et al. 2000b)
Yangtze Delta (2004) / 2004/12 / 23j / 0.92-9.7 (Ø 2.3) / (Shen et al. 2006)
Yangtze Estuary (SB) (2001) / 2001/02 / 7k / n.d.-19 / (Liu et al. 2003)
Yangtze Estuary (2003) / 2003/08 / 12l / 2.5-51 (Ø 13) / (Cheng, et al. 2006 )
Yangtze Estuary (2004) / 2004/04 / 12m / 1-30 / (Hui et al. 2009a)
Yangtze Estuary (2006) / 2006/05 / n.a. / 0.6-2.6 / (An et al. 2009)
Yangtze Estuary & adjacent East China Sea (2007) / 2007 / 22n / 5.08-19.6 (Ø 10) / (Yang et al. 2012)
Other water bodies
Yellow River Estuary (2004) / 2004/08 / 12o / 0.004-180 / (Hui et al. 2009a)
Pearl River Estuary (1997) / 1997/03 / 36n.a. / 10-486 / (Mai et al. 2002)
Elbe River / 2005 / 6p / 45-64 / (Kiersch et al. 2010)
Rhine River (n.a.) / n.a. / 3q / 1-32 / (Wölz et al. 2008)
Neckar River (n.a.) / n.a. / 3q / 1-14.5 / (Wölz et al. 2008)
Upper Danube River / n.a. / 3q / n.d.-0.2 / (Keiter et al. 2008)
a - Number of PCB congers
b - PCB-81, PCB-77, PCB-126, PCB-169, PCB-123, PCB-118, PCB-105, PCB-114, PCB-167, PCB-156, PCB-157, PCB-189
c - PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-101, PCB-138, PCB-153, PCB-180, PCB-77, PCB-81, PCB-126, PCB-169, PCB-105, PCB-114, PCB-123, PCB-156, PCB-157, PCB-167, PCB-189
d - PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-101, PCB-138, PCB-153, PCB-180
e - PCB-18, PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-49, PCB-44, PCB-74, PCB-66, PCB-101, PCB-99, PCB-87, PCB-110, PCB-151, PCB-149, PCB-118, PCB-146, PCB-153, PCB-105, PCB-178, PCB-138, PCB-158, PCB-187, PCB-183, PCB-128, PCB-167, PCB-177, PCB-172, PCB-156, PCB-180, PCB-157, PCB-199, PCB-170, PCB-196, PCB-203, PCB-189, PCB-195, PCB-194, PCB-206, PCB-209
f - PCB-5, PCB-18, PCB-31, PCB-28, PCB-44, PCB-52, PCB-66, PCB-87, PCB-99, PCB-101, PCB-110, PCB-118, PCB-123, PCB-138, PCB-141, PCB-153, PCB-170, PCB-180, PCB-183 PCB-187
g - PCB-8, PCB-18, PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-44, PCB-66, PCB-101, PCB-81, PCB-77, PCB-123, PCB-118, PCB-114, PCB-153, PCB-105, PCB-138, PCB-126, PCB-187, PCB-128, PCB-167, PCB-156, PCB-180, PCB-169, PCB-170, PCB-189, PCB-195, PCB-206,
h - PCB-8, PCB-18, PCB-28, PCB-44, PCB-52, PCB-66, PCB-77, PCB-101, PCB-105, PCB-118, PCB-126, PCB-128, PCB-138, PCB-153, PCB-170, PCB-180, PCB-187, PCB-195, PCB-206, PCB-209
i - PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-101, PCB-153, PCB-138, PCB- 180
j - PCB-28, PCB-29, PCB-44, PCB-50, PCB-52, PCB-77, PCB-87, PCB-101, PCB-104, PCB-105, PCB-118, PCB-128, PCB-138, PCB-153, PCB-154, PCB-170, PCB-180, PCB-187, PCB-188, PCB-194, PCB-195, PCB-201 PCB-206
k - PCB-1, PCB-11, PCB-29, PCB-47, PCB-121, PCB-136, PCB-187
l - 1-9 CB
m - Dioxin-like PCBs, PCB-77, PCB-81, PCB-126, PCB-169, PCB-105, PCB-114, PCB-118, PCB-123, PCB-156, PCB-157, PCB-167, PCB-189
n - PCB-8, PCB-18, PCB-28, PCB-44, PCB-52, PCB-66, PCB-77, PCB-101, PCB-105, PCB-118, PCB-126, PCB-128, PCB-138, PCB-153, PCB-170, PCB-180, PCB-187, PCB-195, PCB-206, PCB-209, PCB-171, PCB-183
o - PCB-77, PCB-81, PCB-126, PCB-169, PCB-105, PCB-114, PCB-118, PCB-123, PCB-156, PCB-157, PCB-167, PCB-189
p - PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-101, PCB-138, PCB-153, PCB-180
q - PCB-77, PCB-126, PCB-169

n.a. - not available; n.d. - not detected; MS – Yangtze River main stream; TB – tributary; SB – south branch; Date: YYYY/MM

Table S3: Concentrations of OCPs in water and sediments from the Yangtze River and other water bodies in China

Number of papers - Total papers: 16; OCPs in the Yangtze River: 12 (Water: 6; Sediment: 7)

Location / Date of sampling / ƩOCPs / ƩDDTsb / ƩHCHsc / Reference
Na / Concentration
Water (ng/L)
Yangtze River Drainage Basin
Three Gorge Reservoir (2008) / 2008/05 / d / 2.33-3.60 / 0.52-1.07 / 0.1-0.63 / (Wang et al. 2009)
Sichuan section (MS) (2007) / 2007/06, 2007/08 / e / 0.56-1.82 / n.d. / 0.56-1.82 / (Liu et al. 2011)
Wuhan section (MS) (2005) / 2005/07, 2005/12 / f / 1.01-47( Ø10.55) / n.d.-17 ( Ø 1.5) / 0.55-28 ( Ø 6.7) / (Tang et al. 2008)
Nanjing section (MS) (1998) / 1998/05 / g / 14.61-15.83 / 0.52-1.15 ( Ø 0.8) / 0.14-1.47 ( Ø 0.2) / (Xu et al. 2000a)
Jiangsu section (MS) (2004-2005) / 2004- 2005 / e / 0.27-2.15 / 0.10-0.11q / n.a. / (He et al. 2011)
Jiangsu section (MS) (2007) / 2007 / e / 6.08-27.37 / 0.48-21.305 / 5.6-6.38 / (Liu et al. 2011)
Other water bodies
Yellow River (Middle & Lower Reaches) (2006) / 2006/05 / e / 3-109 / 0.06-10.84 / 0. 73-48. 09 / (Sun et al. 2009)
Pearl River (2005-2006) / 2005-2006 / i / 3-41 ( Ø 11) / 1.08-19.6( Ø 3.9) / 0.5-14.8 ( Ø3.7) / (Guan et al. 2009)
Macao Harbor (2001) / 2001/04 / j / 25-68 ( Ø 51) / 8.8-29.7 / 8.7-27 / (Luo et al. 2004)
Location / Date of sampling / ƩOCPs / ƩDDTsb / ƩHCHsc / Reference
Na / Concentration
Sediment (ng/g, dry weight)
Yangtze River Drainage Basin
Wuhan section (MS) (2005) / 2005/07, 2005/12 / k / 0.1-21 / 2-16 / 0.10-12 / (Tang et al. 2007b)
Wuhan section (TB) (2005) / 2005/07, 2005/12 / k / n.a. / 1-36 / 0.2-21 / (Tang et al. 2007b)
Nanjing section (MS) (1998) / 1998/05 / l / n.a. / 0.21-4.50 / 0.18-1.41 / (Xu et al. 2000a)
Nanjing section (TB) (2004) / 2004/03 / n.a. / 6.9-48.6 / 3.7-32.6 / 2.8-33.5 / (An et al. 2006)
Yangtze Estuary (2001) / 2001/02 / m / 1.26-36.01 (Ø 8.5) / n.d.-0.57 / n.d.-30.40 / (Liu et al. 2003)
Yangtze Estuary (SB) (2002) / 2002/08 / n.a. / n.a. / 0.9-33.1 (Ø 8) / 0.5-17.5 (Ø 6) / (Liu et al. 2008a)
Yangtze Estuary (SB) (2006) / 2006/04 / n / 0.46-12.09( Ø 4.54) / 0.37-10.84 (Ø 3.7) / 0.05-2.84 (Ø 0.7) / (Liu et al. 2007)
Other water bodies
East China Sea (2002) / 2002/11 / o / n.a. / 0.1-6 (Ø 3) / 0.1-2 (Ø 1) / (Yang et al. 2005)
Pearl River Estuary (1997) / 1997 / p / 57-158 / 35.1-91.1 / 1.2-17 / (Mai et al. 2002)
PCP (Water: ng/L)
Jiangsu Section (MS) / n.a. / n.d.- 220 / (Han et al. 2009)
PCP (Sediment: ng/g)
Wuhan section (MS) / 2005 / 1-2 (Ø 0.4) / (Tang et al. 2007a)
Wuhan section (Lakes) / 2005 / n.d.-13 / (Tang et al. 2007a)
Nanjing section (MS) / n.a. / 0.5-4.58 / (Xu et al. 2000c)
a - Congers of OCPs
b - p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD
c - α- HCH,β- HCH, γ- HCH, δ- HCH,
d - α- HCH,β- HCH, γ- HCH δ- HCH, ε-HCH, p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD, pentachlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, pentachloroanisole, octachlorostyrene, tans-chlordan, cis-chlordan, oxy-chlorodan, hepatachlor, cis-heptachloreoxid, tans-Heptachlorepoxid, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, endosulfan-Ⅰ, endosulfan-Ⅱ, methoxychlor, mirex
e - p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD,α- HCH,β- HCH, γ- HCH δ- HCH, ε-HCH
f - α- HCH,β- HCH, γ- HCH , p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD, aldrin, pentachlorobenzene, hepatachlor, endosulfan-Ⅰ, endosulfan-Ⅱ, methoxychlor, dieldrin, endrin, endosulfan sulfate, endrin aldehyde, and heptachlor expoxide,
g - α- HCH,β- HCH, g- HCH , p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD, HCB
h - γ- HCH p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD, heptachlor epoxide
i - γ- HCH p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD, heptachlor epoxide
j - α- HCH,β- HCH, γ- HCH δ- HCH, ε-HCH, p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD, o,-p´-DDE, o,-p´-DDD, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, endrin ketone, endrin aldehydes, endosulfan I, endosulfanII, endosulfan sulfate and methoxychlor
k - α- HCH,β- HCH, γ- HCH δ- HCH, ε-HCH, p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD, o,-p´-DDE, o,-p´-DDD, heptachlor epoxide, endosulfanⅠ, dieldrin, endrin, endosulfanⅡ, endrin aldehyde, endosulfan sulfate, endrin ketone, mehoxyclor
l - α- HCH,β- HCH, γ- HCH δ- HCH, . p,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,p,-p´-DDD, aldrin, heptachlor, endosulfanⅠ, endosulfanⅡ, methoxychlor, dieldrin, endrin, endosulfan sulfate, endrin aldehyde, heptachlor expoxide, pentachloronitrobenzene
m - α- HCH, β- HCH, γ- HCH , .p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD, octachlorostyrene, aldrin, heachlor, endrin ,β-endosulfan, methoxychlor
n - α- HCH, β- HCH, γ- HCH , .p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD, heptachlor, aldrin, heptachlor epoxide, endosulfanⅠ, endosulfanⅡ, dieldrin, endrin, ketone
o - α- HCH, β- HCH, γ- HCH , .p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD, dieldrin, heptachlor
p - α- HCH, β- HCH, γ- HCH , .p,-p´-DDT, o,-p´-DDT, p,-p´-DDE, p,-p´-DDD, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, endosulfanⅠ, endosulfanⅡ, endosulfan sulfate, endrin aldehyde, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, methoxychlor
q - p,p´-DDT
n.a. - not available; n.d. - not detected; MS – Yangtze River main stream; TB – tributary; SB – south branch; Date: YYYY/MM

Table S4:Concentrations of PCDDs/DFs in water and sediments from the Yangtze River and other water bodies in the world

Number of papers: Total papers: 7; PCDDs/DFs in the Yangtze River: 3 (Water: 1; Sediment: 2)

Location / Sampling Date / Concentration / WHO1998-TEQ / Reference
Water (pg/L)
Yangtze River Drainage Basin
Three Gorges Reservoir / 2004-2005 / 2-96 (Ø 12) / 0.001-0.3 (Ø0.1)a / (Chen et al. 2008)
Location / Sampling Date / Concentration / WHO1998-TEQ / Reference
Sediment (pg/g)
Yangtze River Drainage Basin
Yangtze Estuary / 2003-2004 / 25-374 (Ø 170) / 0.4-1 (Ø 0.8)b / (Wen et al. 2008)
Yangtze Estuary / 2004 / n.a / 0.3-1c / (Sun et al. 2005)
Other Water Bodies
Pearl River / 2000 / 2,004-4,314 (Ø 2,794) / 1.50-6.23 (Ø 3.25)d / (Zhang et al. 2009)
Yellow Estuary / 2004 / n.a / 0.11-1e* / (Hui et al. 2009a)
Mondego Estuary / 2009 / 110 / 0.88 f / (Nunes et al. 2011)
Mai Po Wetland / n.a. / 4,826-7,885 / 10.8-16.4g / (Müller et al. 2002)
a - 2,3,78-TCDD; 1,2,37,8-PeDD; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD; 1,23,7,8,9-HxCDD; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD; OCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF; 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HpCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF; OCDF
b - 2,3,7,8-TCDD; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HeCDD; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HeCDD; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HeCDD; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD; OCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF;1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF; 2,3,4,7,8-eCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HeCDF; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HeCDF; 2,3,4,6,7,8-HeCDF; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HeCDF; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF
c - 2,3,7,8-TCDF; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF; 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF; 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF; OCDF; 2,3,7,8,-TCDD;1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD;1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD;1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD; OCDD
d - 2,3,7,8-TCDD; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD; 2,3,7,8-TCDF; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF; 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF; 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HpCDF
e - 2,3,7,8-TCDD; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD; OCDD; 2,3,7,8-TCDF; 2,3,7,8-PeCDF; 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF; 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF;1,2,3,7,8,9-hxCDF; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF; OCDF
f - 2,3,7,8-TCDD; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD; OCDD; 2,3,7,8-TCDF; 1,2,3,7,8-TCDF; 1,2,3,7,8-peCDF; 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF; 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF, OCDF
g - 2,3,7,8-TCDD; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD; OCDD; 2,3,7,8-TCDF; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF
h - 2,3,4,7,8-TCDF; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF; 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF; 2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF; 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF
* WHO – 2005

n.a. - not available;

Table S5:Concentrations of PBDEs in sediments from the Yangtze River and East China Sea

Number of papers: Total papers: 4; PBDEs in the Yangtze River: 3 (Water: 0; Sediment: 3)

Location / Sampling Date / Na / Concentration (ng/g) / Reference
ƩPBDEs / BDE209
Three Gorges Reservoir / 2010 / 26b / n.d.-146 / n.d.-502 / (Zhao et al. 2013)
Yangtze Delta / n.a. / 12c / 0.1-0.55 / 0.2-95 / (Chen et al. 2006)
Yangtze Delta / n.a. / 14d / 2-4 (Ø 3) / n.a. / (Shen et al. 2006)
East China Sea / 2006 / 7e / n.d.-8 / 0.3-45 / (Li et al. 2012b)
a-Number of PBDE congers except BDE-209
b-BDE 3, 7, 15,17,28,49,71,47,66,77,100,119,99,85,126,154,153,138,156,184,183,191,197,196,207,206
c-BDE 7,11,15,17,28,47,66,100,99,164,153,183
d-BDE3,15,28,47,60,100,99,85,154,153,138,183,197,207
e- BED 28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183 .

n.a. - not available;

Table S6: Concentrations of PFCs, PFOS, PFOA in water and sediments from the Yangtze River and other water bodiesin China

Numbers of papers: Total papers: 10, PFCs in the Yangtze River: 7 (Water: 5; Sediment: 3)

Location / Sampling Date / Concentration / Reference
ƩPFCs / PFOS / PFOA
Water (ng/L)
Yangtze River Drainage Basin
Three Gorges Reservoir / 2003 / n.a. / 0.1-38 (Ø 3) / 0.2-298 (Ø 5) / (Jin et al. 2006)
Wuhan section (MS) / 2003 / n.a. / 2.3-25.5 / 3.5-5 / (Jin et al. 2006)
Three Gorges Reservoir and Wuhan section (MS) / 2003 / n.a. / 0.2-38 / 0.2-298 / (Jin et al. 2009)
Chongqing, Yichang, Nanjing, Shanghai section (MS) / 2005 / n.a. / 0.01-14 / 22-260 / (So et al. 2007)
Yangtze Estuary (SB) / 2008 / n.a. / 36-144 / n.a. / (Pan &You 2010)
Yangtze Delta / 2008 / 42.4-170 / 1-13.5 / 31-119 (65) / (Lu et al. 2011)
Tai Lake / 2009 / 18-448 (Ø 528)a / 4-394 (Ø 26.5) / 11-37(Ø 22) / (Yang et al. 2011)
Dianchi Lake / 2010 / n.a. / 2-15.12 (Ø 8) / 3-35 (Ø 10) / (Zhang et al. 2012b)
Other Water Bodies
Pearl River / n.a. / n.a. / 1-99 / 0.8-13 / (So et al. 2007)
East to South China Sea / 2010 / 0.133-3.3b / n.a. / n.a. / (Cai et al. 2012a)
Liao River / 2009 / 1.4-131 (Ø 43.6)a / n.d.-6.6 (Ø 0.33) / n.d.-28 (Ø 11) / (Yang et al. 2011)
Location / Sampling Date / Concentration / Reference
ƩPFCs / PFOS / PFOA
Sediment (ng/g, dry weight)
Yangtze River Drainage Basin
Tai Lake / 2009 / 0.2-1.3 (Ø 0.7)a / 0.06-0.3 (Ø 0.15) / 0.02-0.5 (Ø 0.2) / (Yang et al. 2011)
Huangpu River / 2007 / 62.5-276c / 1.6-9 / 5-203 / (Li et al. 2010)
Huangpu River / 2009 / 0.25-1d / n.d-0.5 / 0.2-0.6 / (Bao et al. 2010)
Yangtze Estuary (SB) / 2008 / n.a. / 73-537 / n.a. / (Pan &You 2010)
Dianchi Lake / 2010 / 0.2-2.5e / 0.1-0.8 (Ø 0.25) / n.d.-0.7 (Ø 0.1) / (Zhang et al. 2012b)
Other Water Bodies
Pearl River / 2009 / 0.1-4d / n.d.-3 / n.a. / (Bao et al. 2010)
Liao River / 2009 / 0.3-1 (Ø 0.5)a / 0.04-0.5 (Ø 0.15) / 0.02-0.18 (Ø 0.1) / (Yang et al. 2011)
Abbreviations: Pefluoropetanoate (PFPA), perfluorohexanoate (PFHxA), perfluoroheptanoate (PFHpA), PFOA, perfluorononanoate (PFNA), perfluorotridecanoate (PFTriDA), PFBS, PFOS, N-ethyl perfluoroocatane sulfonamide (EtFOSA)
a - PFBS, PFHxS, PFOS, PFDS, PFHpA, PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUdA, PFDoA
b - PFPA, PFHxA, PFHpA, PFNA, PFTriDA, PFBS, PFOS, EtFOSA
c - PFPA, PFHxA, PFHpA, PFOA, PFNA, PFTriDA, PFBS, PFOS, EtFOSA
d - PFBS, PFOS, PFOA, PFDA, PFDoA

n.a. – not available; n.d. – not detected; MS - Yangtze River main stream;SB – South Branch

Table 7: Summary of other organic pollutants in water and sediment of the Yangtze River Drainage Basin

Numbers of papers: Total papers: 10; PAE: 4; NP: 3; BPA: 2;

Sampling Location / Sampling Date / Concentration / Reference
Ʃ5 PAEs / DBP / DEHP
PAEs (Water: µg/L)
Chongqing section (MS) / 2008 / n.a. / n.d.-42 / n.d.-12 / (Luo et al. 2009 )
Wuhan section (MS) / 2005/07 / 0.034-0.456 / 0.014-0.126 / 0.01-0.28 / (Wang et al.2008)
Wuhan section (MS) / 2005/12 / 35.75-91.22 / n.d.-35 / 4-54 / (Wang et al.2008)
Wuhan section (TB) / 2005/07 / 0.114-1.259 / n.a. / n.a. / (Wang et al.2008)
Wuhan section (TB) / 2005/12 / 0.25-132.12 / n.a. / n.a. / (Wang et al.2008)
Jiangsu section (MS) / 2004-2005 / 0.178-1.474a / 0.105-0.286 / <0.010-0.836 / (He et al. 2011)
Yangtze Delta / 2010 / 0.061-28.550 (Ø 4.536)a / n.d.-7 / n.d-28 / (Zhang et al. 2012a)
PAEs (Sediment: µg/g)
Wuhan section (MS) / 2005/07 / 157.1-450 / 11.7-246 / 76-221 / (Wang et al.2008)
Wuhan section (MS) / 2005/12 / 76.3-275.9 / 25.4-84.3 / 50.8-192.6 / (Wang et al.2008)
Wuhan section (TB) / 2005/12 / 6.6-478.9 / n.d.-154.8 / 0.4-323.5 / (Wang et al.2008)
Sampling Location / Sampling Date / Concentration / Reference
NP (Water: ng/L)
Chongqing section (MS) / 2000/4 / 20-1,1200 / (Shao et al. 2002)
Chongqing section (MS) / 2000/7 / 1,550-6,900 / (Shao et al. 2002)
Chongqing section (MS) / 2000/04,07,12 / 1,700-7,300 / (Shao et al. 2005)
Yangtze Estuary and adjacent area / 2008 / 13-186 / (Ping 2011)
NP (Sediment: ng/g)
Yangtze Estuary / 2003 / 2-36 / (Bian et al. 2010)
BPA (Water: ng/L
Huangpu River / n.a. / 184-782 / (Wang et al. 2012a)
BPA (Sediment: ng/g)
Yangtze Estuary and adjacent East China Sea / 2003 / 1-13 (Ø 3.3) / (Bian et al. 2010)
Abbreviations:di-methyl phthalate (DMP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-octyl-phthalate (DnOP), di-ethyl phthalate (DEP), di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP),, benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP)
a-Ʃ5PAEs+BBP

n.a. - not available; MS – Yangtze River main stream; TB – tributaries

Table S8: Summary of bioassay studies (in vitro and in vivo) in the Yangtze River

Number of papers: Total papers: 20; Mutagenicity: 8; Endocrine activity: 4; Other endpoints: 7

Sample source / Sampling
Date / Assay method / Compartment / Reference
Mutagenicity
Chongqing section (MS), Jialing River / 2000,2001 / Ames assay (S. typhimurium) / Source water / (Shu et al. 2002 )
Chongqing section (MS), Jialing River / 2001 / SCGE/Comet assay (HepG2 cells) / Source water, Chlorinated drinking water / (Qiu et al. 2003)
Wuhan section (MS), Dong Lake, Han River / 2002 / SCGE/Comet assay (HepG2 cells) / Chlorinated drinking water / (Yuan et al. 2005)
Wuhan section (MS), Dong Lake / n.a. / SCGE/Comet assay (HepG2 cells)
Micronucleus test / Chlorinated drinking water / (Lu et al. 2004)
Wuhan section (MS), Han River / 2008 / Ames assay (S. typhimurium) / Source water, tap water / (Dong et al. 2010)
Shanghai area / n.a. / Ames, Ara, SOS/umu test / Source water, tap water / (Shen et al. 2003a)
Nanjing section (MS) / 2004 / Comet assay (Human peripheral blood lymphocytes), micronucleus test (Vivia faba root tip cells) / (Li et al. 2006 )
Yangtze Estuary / 2003 / Ames (S. typhimurium) / Source water / (Wu 2005)
Endocrine activity
Chongqing section (MS),
Jialing River / 2000, 2001 / Cell proliferation test (MCF-7 cells) / Source water / (Zhu et al. 2003)
Wuhan section (MS), Han River / 2008 / YES assay / Source water, tap water / (Dong et al. 2010)
Nanjing section (MS) / 2009 / Adult male goldfish (C. auratus), serum vitellogenin, 17ß-estradiol induction, gonad atrophy / Source water / (Lu et al. 2010a)
Jiangsu section (MS) / 2009 / Thyroid hormone reporter gene assay (Green monkeykidney fibroblast) / Source water / (Shi et al. 2011)
Other Endpoint
Chongqing section (MS), Jialing River / 2004, 2005 / Ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity, CYP1A1 mRNA expression, aryl hydrocarbon receptor binding capacity, activation of xenobiotic response element, H4IIE cells
Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). / Source water / (Cui et al. 2009)
Jialing River / 2005 / (Sub)chronic toxicity, rats, multiple endpoints / Drinking water / (Li et al. 2006)
Jialing River / 2004 / Male reproductive system test, Mus musculus / Tap water / (Zhao et al. 2011)
Nanjing section (MS) / n.a. / Male reproductive system test, Mus musculus / Source water / (Zhao et al. 2009)
Nanjing section (MS) / 2008 / Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and Na+/K+-ATPase activities, goldfish (Carassius auratus) / Source water / (Wang et al. 2010)
Tai Lake section (MS) in Jiangsu Province / 2008 / In vitro cytotoxity assays with sertoli, leydig and spermatogenic cells from adult male Sprague-Dawley rats / Source water / (Wang et al. 2011)
Yangtze Estuary / 2005 / Fish embryo toxicity test, Sediment contact assay, zebra fish (Danio rerio) embryos / Sediment / (Wu et al. 2010)

n.a. - not available; MS – Yangtze River main stream