Comprehensive Study of Organic Micro-pollutants in Flooded Paddy Soils in Central Vietnam: Levels, Pollution Pathways and Sources

In order to assess the environmental impacts caused by flood to the paddy field, 940 semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) were screened in paddy soil samples taken in central Vietnam before and after flooding. The concentration of 166 SVOCs in soil samples ranged from 0.031 to 2241 (mean 89.1) µg kg^-1 dry wt. Chemicals originating from household sources showed the highest level, followed by chemicals originating from agriculture. Since untreated domestic wastewater used for agricultural irrigation, organic micro-pollutants in domestic wastewater is the main source of pollutants in paddy soil. However, contamination levels of pollutants in paddy soil after flooding were lower than those before flooding, possibly due to the removal of pollutants by floodwater. As a result, pollution characteristic of pollutants at sampling locations were different before flooding while they became similar after flooding due to the dispersion and elution of organic pollutants from soil into floodwaters.