Distribution of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments from small streams.

Abstract

Although a significant number of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been known to be carcinogens, there have been few publications on their distribution in sediments from small streams which are directly affected by anthropogenic pollution. Therefore, distribution of 8 PAHs, i.e. pyrene (Py), fluoranthene (Fl), benzo [a] anthracene B [a] A, benzo [k] fluoranthene B [k] F, benzo [b] fluoranthene B [b] F, benzo [a] pyrene B [a] P, benzo [ghi] perylene B [ghi] P and perylene (Per), in sediments from 11 small streams in Niigata Prefecture were measured and compared with those of the Shinano River. B [a] P concentration was correlated to the other 6 PAHs except for Per. Concentrations in sediment of Py, Fl, which were the most abundant in the 8 PAHs, and B [a] A, which existed in the least, were ranged from 2.0 to 870, 1.8-869 and 0.2-176 ng/g dry weight, respectively ; B [a] P and Per concentrations were 0.4-293 and 0.7-435 ng/g dry weight, respectively. PAH levels at downstream were higher than those at upstream except for in 2 small streams. Except for Per, every PAH-concentrations per ignition-loss was extreamly high at the places where industrial wastewater or treatment sewage flowed, whereas they were not so high where domestic wastewater flowed. The sampling sites appear to be divisible into 8 groups by cluster analysis ; each group was characterized by total-PAHs per ignition-loss, B [a] P per ignition-loss, Per per ignition-loss and linear-alkylbenzenesulfonates per ignition-loss.