Abstract
Holding time is the length of time a sample can be stored after collection and prior to analysis without significantly affecting the analytical results. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), semivolatile organic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), must be extracted from water within 7 days for suitable analysis. However, often oceanographic cruises spend more than 7 days at sea, causing samples not to comply with the US EPA protocol. The aim of this work was to revaluate the holding time for the 16 PAHs classified as US EPA priority pollutants and benzo(e)pyrene in saline water samples when stored protected from light, at ⩽6°C using modern chromatographic techniques. The results showed that holding time for water samples is longer than 41 days for most PAHs. For some PAHs, the concentrations remained within the tolerable concentration until day 22 (dibenzo(a,h)anthracene and benzo(g,h,i)perylene) and until day 30 (benzo(b)fluoranthene).
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