Ranking and Screening Hazardous Chemicals for Human Health in Southeast China

Copeland and comprehensive multi-index comparison methods were used to rank and screen hazardous chemicals using original and pre-treatment data sets. The results show that the Copeland method can yield similar results for the two data sets. The results of a comprehensive multi-index comparison with the pretreatment dataset also show some similarities to those obtained using Copeland method. The results of the two methods show 18 common chemicals that belong in the top 20 chemicals. Of these chemicals, six are different types of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, seven are POPs, three are polycyclic aromatichydrocarbons, and two are pesticides. These substances should be regarded as chemicals of concern, and appropriate handling should be followed. Overall, the Copeland method with the original dataset can rapidly, reasonably, and effectively rank and screen hazardous chemicals.