Pollution characteristics and food chain transmission patterns of short chain chlorinated paraffins in seawater and organisms near the northern coast of Yantai

This study examined concentrations of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) in seawater and marine organisms from the coastal waters north of Yantai. SCCPs are a class of persistent organic pollutants that are widely used as flame retardants, plasticizers, lubricants, coolants, metalworking cutting fluids, and sealants. Because of their persistence in aquatic environments and their capacity for bioaccumulation and biomagnification, SCCPs pose ecological risks.The amounts of ΣSCCPs in seawater and organisms varied from 58.0 to 610.5 ng/L and 10.2 to 219.0 ng/g wet weight, respectively. The SCCPs carbon-chlorine homologues C10-11 and C11-13 (Cl5-7) were the most prevalent in the seawater and organism, respectively.Further analysis reveals that SCCPs in coastal waters north of Yantai are primarily influenced by a combination of industrial production, human activities, riverine inputs, and ocean current variations. SCCPs concentrations in marine organisms correlate closely with their life habits and regional pollution levels. The distribution patterns of carbon and chlorine homologues of SCCPs in seawater and marine organisms are mainly affected by the physicochemical properties of SCCPs, industrial production, environmental fate changes, and the organisms capacity to absorb, store, and metabolize pollutants. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) values for SCCPs in organisms from northern coastal waters of Yantai ranged from 2.21 to 2.70, with variations attributed to feeding preferences, habitat, and trophic level.