The recognition of organic pollutants in aquatic sediments.

Abstract

Aquatic sediments contain small amounts of organic matter which have been contributed from the land by water and wind erosion, from the water column, and from the sediment itself by biological activity. These fluxes include variable loads of pollutants and their degradation products. Base-line studies of the organic components of contemporary surface sediments and of layers from cores are urgently needed so that the pollutants can be distinguished from the natural compounds. Such analyses require precise analytical procedures capable of identifying pollutants and natural compounds, both expected and unexpected. Computerized gas chromatography-mass spectrometry provides this capability and the option of further processing the stored data long after acquisition. The ways in which computers can be used to process mass spectral data are discussed and some applications are described. The use of one advanced computerized gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy system for the analysis of an estuarine sediment is described in detail. The presence of phthalate esters, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and partially degraded crude oil, as well as certain natural lipids, is demonstrated.