Evaluación de los niveles de hidrocarburos aromáticos policíclicos en sedimentos de las principales Bahías del Pacífico colombiano

Abstract

In the present study it evaluated the levels of 16 aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH) parentales in sediments from Tumaco’s bays, Buenaventura and Malaga with base in two samplings realized during 2007, allowing to establish the predominance of sources of origin petrogenic in the studied bays, product of discharges of terrestrial sources; associated with the residual domestic, industrial, agricultural and forest waters; that generally carry out without any type of treatment; likewise there is had the entry of hydrocarbons associated with the maritime transport and with operations of managing of oil and derivatives. Inside the opposing compounds they predominated over the PAH of high molecular weight, among them fluoranthene and pyrene with maximum concentrations of 110 and 197 ng/g. In Tumaco’s bays and Malaga PAH levels during the second monitoring were lower in relation to the obtained in the first; while, in Buenaventura’s bay the observed values allow to infer a constant revenue of substances pollutants. In general, the quantified concentrations did not exceed the limits established as qualities criteria for sediments indexed in the literature.