Concentrations, spatial distributions and congener profiles of polychlorinated biphenyls in soils from a coastal city - Tianjin, China

► Samples for urban area, rural sites, coastal and background sites were collected. ► The PCBs concentrations in Tianjin showed a strong east-west gradient. ► Predominant PCB homolog groups were penta- and tri-PCBs for Tianjin region. ► The PCBs distribution patterns indicated the influence of local emission sources. ► The main sources for PCBs are moving from urban to rural area.