Distribution and bioconcentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface water and fishes.

Haiyan Li,Yong Ran

doi:10.1100/2012/632910

Abstract

To examine spatial distribution and bioconcentration of PAHs, water and fish samples were collected from Pearl River Delta in summer and spring, respectively. Particulate organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, biodegradable DOC (BDOC), and chlorophyll a were measured. PAHs were dominated by 2- and 3-ring compounds in the water and SPM samples. Aqueous and solid-phase PAHs, respectively, showed significant correlations with total organic matter (TOC) in SPM or dissolved organic matter (DOC) in the water. The in-situ partitioning coefficients (logK oc, mL/g) for the samples were observed to be related to logK ow, implying that the hydrophobicity of PAHs is a critical factor in their distribution. It was also observed that BCF increased with the increasing K ow in the viscera of tilapia (logBCF = 0.507logK ow − 1.368, r = 0.883). However, most of the observed log BCF values in other different fish tissues at first increased with the increasing of log K ow, then reached a maximum value when logK ow is between 5 and 7, and then decreased when logK ow is higher than 7, indicating that the value of BCF may vary due to the diversity of fish species.

Highlights

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are listed as US-EPA and EU priority pollutants, are widely distributed in the environment
The major aquatic chemical properties in the water samples including pH, conductivity, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), concentration of suspended particulate matters (SPM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic matters (POC), chlorophyll a (Chl a), and total PAHs were listed in Tables 1 and 2
The concentrations of dissolved organic matter (DOC) in the Dongjiang River ranged from 1.19 mg/L to 13.91 mg/L in July 2010

Summary

Introduction

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are listed as US-EPA and EU priority pollutants, are widely distributed in the environment. PAHs with low molecular weight can enter atmosphere by evaporation, while nonvolatile PAHs with high molecular weight could contaminate surface water through atmospheric deposition [2]. Due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic effects to both terrestrial and aquatic organisms, PAHs have attracted much attention. Qiu et al [4] examined the level of 15 PAHs in seawater, suspended particulate matter (SPM), surface sediment, and core sediment samples of Deep Bay, South China. Distributions, composition, and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments and suspended particulate matter (SPM) from the Pearl River Delta have been evaluated [5, 6]. Major environmental factors in mediating PAH levels in the sediments as well as bioaccumulation patterns in fish were identified at Mai Po Marshes [7]

Methods

Results

Conclusion