Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Sediments Research Articles

Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments and Mussel Tissue from the Lower Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake

ABSTRACT Sediment and freshwater mussel tissues were used to evaluate distribution and bioaccumulation of polynuclear (polycyclic) aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds in the lowermost Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake. The target analytes included naphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benz[a]pyrene, and benzo[g,h,i]perylene. Surface sediments (0–5 cm depth) from four locations in lowermost Tennessee River and five locations in Kentucky Lake were analyzed for target PAH compounds to determine spatial distributions. A sediment core from Ledbetter embayment in Kentucky Lake was analyzed to describe vertical distributions of the compounds. Freshwater mussels (Unionidae) collected from the lowermost Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake were analyzed and examined for bioaccumulation. PAH compounds were detected in all sediments and mussel tissues. PAH concentrations ranged from 0.01 (detection limit) to 90.4 ng/g dry wt in sediments and 0.02 (detection limit) to 223 ng...

Distribution and sources of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in Mangrove surficial sediments of Deep Bay, China

Twelve sediment samples collected from three transects of mangrove swamp of Deep Bay, Shenzhen, China, were determined for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The total PAHs concentrations ranged from 237 to 726 ng g −1 dry weight, and showed strong correlation with total organic carbon (TOC), clay content and Pb concentrations. The highest PAHs concentrations were found in the samples from mangrove sediments. Overall, PAHs in Deep Bay sediment were lower than those in other developed areas. The biological effect due to PAHs alone in Deep Bay is expected to be low, based on the comparisons of individual and total PAHs concentrations determined in the sediment with those in USEPA sediment quality guidelines. Four and five-ring compounds dominated the PAHs composition pattern profiles. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to further investigate the source of PAHs. The PAH sources of Deep Bay mangrove swamp were suggested to be primarily combustion of fossil fuel, especially leaded-gasoline exhaust.

Sources and Bioavailability of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Galveston Bay, Texas

Oyster and sediment samples collected from six sites in Galveston Bay from 1986 to 1998 were analyzed for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Total concentrations of parent PAHs in oysters ranged from 20 ng g−1 at one site to 9,242 ng g−1 at another and varied randomly with no clear trend over the 13 year period at any site. Concentrations of alkylated PAHs, which are indications of petroleum contamination, varied from 20 to 80,000 ng g−1 in oysters and were in higher abundance than the parent PAHs, indicating that one source of the PAH contaminants in Galveston Bay was petroleum and petroleum products. Four to six ring parent PAHs, which are indicative of combustion source , were higher than those of 2–3 ring parent PAHs, suggesting incomplete combustion generated PAHs was another source of PAHs into Galveston Bay. Concentrations of parent PAHs in sediments ranged from 57 to 670 ng g−1 and were much lower than those in oysters. Sediments from one site had a high PAH concentration of 5,800 ng g−1. Comparison of the compositions and concentrations of PAHs between sediment and oysters suggests that oysters preferentially bioaccumulate four to six ring PAHs. PAH composition in sediments suggests that the sources of PAH pollution in Galveston Bay were predominantly pyrogenic, while petroleum related PAHs were secondary contributions into the Bay.

On polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons contamination levels in the ecosystem of Lake Peipsi in the 1970s?1980s

The data on benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and other polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) pollution of Lake Peipsi and its tributaries in the 1970s–1980s have been summarized. Systematic data on the pollution of Lake Peipsi by BaP are available. The BaP content in lake water varied from <0.1 to 237 ng 1−1. The content and qualitative composition of PAH varied in different observations. PAH were accumulated mainly in the bottom sediments; in their surface layer BaP concentrations were 103–106 times higher than in water. The concentration of the PAH in bottom sediments varied from 16 to 580 µg kg−1 in the lake and from 40 to 2800 µg kg−1 in its tributaries. The content of BaP in fish and biota was not high. Among the pollution sources the atmospheric pollution played quite a significant role. The lake was also polluted by oil spillage and fuel exhausts from boats and ships. The PAH concentration in the water of the tributaries was somewhat higher than in the area of Lake Peipsi.

Assessment of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons ecotoxicity threshold in marine sediments through in situ input/decay measurements

: The ability of decomposers to process variable amounts of xenobiotics in the marine sediment is a useful aggregate indicator of their capacity to prevent their accumulation and eventual ecotoxic effects. Since decomposition processes depend on environmental factors at the sediment which are difficult to mimic in laboratory systems, in situ evaluations in undisturbed sediments are of great interest. A method and its results are presented to evaluate the decomposition rates of PAHs (polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons) in coastal undisturbed marine sediments at different levels of pollution input. The method is based on the application of pulse chromatography concepts to interpret trap and bed sediment monitoring data obtained at regular time intervals, using models of the water column as an anisotropic carrying medium. The results are for a 14 month data series from moderately polluted sediments near an urban site and at a more distant nearly pristine site on the south Atlantic coast. QSAR (quantitative structure activity relations) indicate that decay rates increase with higher UV absorption and lipidic solubility. At low levels of total PAH input to the sediments (<0.05 μg day(-1) g(-1)), decomposition mechanisms effectively process these compounds within a few days. At higher input levels (up to 0.12 μg day(-1) g(-1)), decomposition lags behind the inputs by approximately 25% and PAHs accumulate in the sediment. In situ estimates of the PAH input/decay ratios provide reliable ecosystem indicators of a safe threshold for anthropogenic inputs of PAHs to the marine environment and a basis for receptor-based standards aimed at their regulation.

The Galeta Oil Spill. IV. Relationship Between Sediment and Organism Hydrocarbon Loads

This is the fourth in a series of articles reporting the results of studies of mangrove communities heavily oiled in the Bahı́a las Minas (Panamá) oil spill. This paper gives the detailed compositions of oil residues in sediments and encrusting bivalves, and the changes over time. Initial weathering processes removed most of the volatile hydrocarbons and all marker alkanes in oil adsorbed to surface sediments within 6 months after the spill. This initially fast rate of biodegradation was not maintained in the rate of disappearance of the aromatic hydrocarbons over time. Oil leaching out of heavily contaminated sediments was bioaccumulated in bivalves for at least 5 years. The organisms accumulated the whole range of alkylated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the naphthalene through the benzoperylene elution range, seemingly in proportion to what was leached from sediments. A change in the composition of the aromatics bioaccumulated at most study sites in year 5 indicated depletion of the most soluble and most acutely toxic hydrocarbons in the readily leachable reservoirs. Thus, the next 5 years will probably be the critical time frame when impacts grade from acutely lethal into sublethal. The most residual PAHs in both sediments and bivalves were the dibenzothiophene, phenanthrene and chrysene series. A relative increase in the fluorescence intensity compared to the amount of oil determined by gas chromatography in samples from later years provides indirect evidence for a larger percentage of the signal due to fluorescent derivatives of the PAHs.

Distribution of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Environment at Niigata Area.

Distribution patterns of 8 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), i.e. pyrene (Py), fluorantene (Fl), benzo [a] anthracene (B [a] A), benzo [k] fluorantene (B [k] F), benzo [b] fluorantene (B [b] F), benzo [a] pyrene (B [a] P), benzo [ghi] perylene (B [ghi] P) and perylene (Per), in environmental samples from the Niigata area were examined. The total concentrations of 8 PAHs in sediments from the mouth area of rivers, airborne dusts, street dusts and surface soils ranged from <1.6 to 16600, 4700-263000, 210-1770 and 46-170 ng/g dry weight, respectively. The concentrations of B [a] P in the street dusts and soils, 12-138 and 4.8-15 ng/g dry weight, respectively, were highly correlated (r>0.9) to those of other 7 PAHs. The concentration of B [a] P in the airborne dusts, 590-35000 ng/g dry weight, was highly correlated to those of other 5 PAHs except for Py and Fl which were collected at lower efficiencies by the collection materials. The PAHs in the airborn dusts, the street dusts and the soils were derived from artificial sources, especially from automobile. The concentration of B [a] P in the river sediments, 0.1-937 ng/g dry weight, was highly correlated to those of other 6 PAHs except for Per ; this showed a simillar distribution of PAHs in another rivers reported previously. A part of Per in the sediment seems to be derived from natural sources.

Tumor Frequencies in Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) and Brown Bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus) and Sediment Contaminants in Tributaries of the Laurentian Great Lakes

To better characterize neoplasm epizootics in the Great Lakes basin and their association with families of contaminants, we sampled five locations: the Fox and Menominee rivers, Lake Michigan; Munuscong Lake, St. Mary's River; and the Black and Cuyahoga rivers, Lake Erie. Frequencies of external and liver tumors were determined for brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus) from all locations except the Black River and for walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) from the Lake Michigan and St. Mary's River sites. Sediment samples were analyzed for metals, polychlorinated aromatics, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Liver neoplasms occurred in brown bullhead from the Cuyahoga River and Munuscong Lake; brown bullhead captured from Munuscong Lake were older than those collected from the other locations. Brown bullhead from these same two rivers had elevated hepatosomatic indexes. No liver neoplasms were found in brown bullhead from the Fox and Menominee rivers, although polychlorinated aromatics were highest in both Fox River sediment and Fox and Menominee brown bullhead, and arsenic was highest in Menominee River sediment and fish. Liver neoplasms in brown bullhead from the Cuyahoga River fit the prevailing hypothesis that elevated PAH in sediment can induce cancer in wild fish. The cause of the liver neoplasms in Munuscong Lake brown bullhead is undetermined.

Distribution of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments from the Seki River system and coastal area near the river mouth.

Horizontal distributions of 8 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), i.e. pyrene (Py), fluorantene (Fl), benzo [a] anthracene (B [a] A), benzo [k] fluorantene (B [k] F), benzo [b] fluorantene (B [b] F), benzo [a] pyrene (B [a] P), benzo [ghi] perylene (B [ghi] P) and perylene (Per), in sediments from the Seki River and coastal area near the river mouth were measured. Sediment cores from off the river mouth were also analyzed to provide data on historical changes of the 8 PAHs. Concentrations of the total 8 PAHs in the river sediment, the coastal sediment and the sediment core were ranged from <2.6 to 8119, 5.0-298 and 47.9-260 ng/g dry weight, respectively. B [a] P concentration, which was correlated to the other 6 PAHs except for Per, was ranged from <0.1 to 369 ng/g dry weight in the river sediment, 0.3-12ng/g dry weight in the coastal sediment and 0.8-19ng/g dry weight in the sediment core. Except for Per, every PAH-concentration per ignition-loss (PAH/IL) in the river sediment was high at downstream and extremely at the places where indutrial wastewater flowed. PAH/IL in the coastal sediment and surface of the sediment core which located at the places where suspended materials were flowed out from the Seki River was also high, and each PAH-concentration per B [a] P-concentration in the coastal sediment resembled those in the river sediment, suggesting that the river is an important route for supplying PAH to the coastal sediment. On the other hand, it seems that most of Per in sediment originated from natural source and the naturally derived Per-concentrations/IL in the sediment core was estimated at 1.4±0.32 mg/kg.

Unsubstituted polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments, clams, and clam worms from Chesapeake Bay

Concentrations of unsubstituted polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons were measured in sediments, Macoma balthica and Nereis succinea at seven Chesapeake Bay habitats to determine animal-sediment bioaccumulation factors. Bioaccumulation factors for both species ranged between 0.2 and 4 for sediments with more than 0.5% organic carbon. Levels of unsubstituted polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in animal lipids were directly related to corresponding concentrations in sediment. Coarse grained sediments low in organic carbon content (<0.5%) provided animal-sediment bioaccumulation factors that were much larger than fine grained sediments, and greater than estimations obtained from a thermodynamic model. Bioaccumulation was not related to the hydrocarbon concentrations present in sandy bed sediments.

Distribution of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments from small streams.

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.

A simplified analysis of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in soil and sediment by high performance liquid chromatography.

A simple and rapid analysis of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil and sediment by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was investigated. The following method was used for the analysis ; soil and dried sediment samples were sieved through a screen (32 mesh) for removing large particles. PAHs in the soil and sediment samples were extracted with 4 ml of acetonitrile for 15 minutes by using a ultrasonic apparatus, and then PAHs in the supernatant was separated and determined by HPLC [guard column : (35 mm×4.0 mm, i. d.) and analytical column (250 mm×4.0 mm, i. d.) packed with LiChrosorb RP 18 (5 μm), mobile phase : acetonitrile-water (9 : 1, v/v), flow rate : 1.5 ml/min] with UV and fluorescence detectors. This method was applied to the analysis of PAHs in soil and sediment and eleven PAHs were identified. Recovery rates of PAHs from soil and sediment were 101.0% and 99.1% for benzo (a) pyrene (BaP), 98.8% and 99.4% for perylene, and 102.5% and 98.2% for benzo (k) fluoranthene (BkF), respectively. An apparent correlation was found between particle size of soil and distribution rate of BaP and perylene. The BaP contents in soil decreased with increasing the depth from the surface. PAH contents in soils sampled at the road sides of Kitakyushu high way in March 1983 were ranged from 13.9 to 175 ppb for BaP, 11.7-171 ppb for BkF, 3.5-76.4 ppb for perylene and 20.8-273 ppb for benzo (ghi)-perylene. BaP contents in soils sampled from the road side in Orio area were 656-1630 ppb. PAH contents in sediment which were sampled in Onga river in October 1983 were ranged from 6.4 to 82.9 ppb for BaP, 2.8-38.3 ppb for BkF and 2.7-27.2 ppb for perylene. BaP contents in sediments obtained from the polluted area of Wakamatsu harber were 1150 ppb and 12400 ppb. In this method several kinds of PAHs in soil and sediment including carcinogenic BaP can be analysed easily.

高速液体クロマトグラフィーによる貝類，底質および海水中の多環芳香族炭化水素類の分析

A simple method for the determination of 10 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), i. e., anthracene (An), fluoranthene (Flu), pyrene (Py), benz (a) anthracene (B (a) A), benzo (e) pyrene (B (e) P), perylene (Per), benzo (k) fluoranthene (B (k) F), benzo (a) pyrene (B (a) P), dibenz (a, h) anthracene (diB (a, h) A) and benzo (ghi) perylene (B (ghi) Per), in shellfish by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed. The method consists of alkali cleavage of the sample, extraction with n-hexane, clean-up by SEP-PAK Silica Cartridge column chromatogpaphy and determination by HPLC.Recoveries of 10 PAHs added to 20g of short-necked clams at levels of 100-400ng ranged from 92.3 to 99.6% The present method was applied for the determination of PAHs in shellfishes, seabottom sediments and sea water, and correlations between concentrations of PAHs in the samples were investigated. Close correlations were found between concentrations of PAHs in the sample groups except for sea water.

Distribution and association form of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments from Tokyo Bay.

Distribution and association form of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments from Tokyo Bay.

Biogenic and abiogenic polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments from two remote Adirondack lakes

Sediment cores from Sagamore Lake and Woods Lake in New York State's Adirondack Park, an area remote from industrial activities, were analyzed for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) by high resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Their composition and distribution with depth in the sediment indicate that the parental PAH in the surface sediments are primarily produced by anthropogenic combustion of fossil fuels. Perylene in deep sediments is apparently transformed from natural precursors in the reducing environment, however, the exact precursors remain unknown. The rather even sediment distributions of the non-parental PAH differ from the parental, suggesting biogenic origins. Based on their chemical structures, retene and alkylated and partially hydrogenated phenanthrenes are believed to be biogenically converted from abietic acid; hydrochrysenes and hydropicenes, from pentacyclic triterpenes.

Rapid simple sample preparation technique for analyzing polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A rapid, simple and reproducible sample preparation technique has been developed for analyzing polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments. The PAHs are removed by ultrasonic extraction and isolated by solvent partition and silica gel column chromatography. The sulfur removal step, which is often necessary for gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis of sediments, is combined into the ultrasonic extraction procedure. Identification of PAHs is carried out by GC alone and in conjunction with MS. Quantitation is achieved by addition of known amount of standard compounds using flame ionization and multiple ion detectors. Major PAHs in Charles River sediment have been analyzed.

Determination of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in sediment by mass fragmentography.

We have developed an analytical method for determining polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in sediment using mass fragmentography (MF). MF, using the combination of a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, is superior because of quick separation, specificity of mass spectra and the high detection sensitivity. PAH extracted by a benzene–methanol mixture (10: 3) were first applied to a florisil column in benzene to remove interfering compounds, and then applied to a silicic acid column to separate aliphatic hydrocarbons from PAH using isooctane as the elution solvent. PAH thus purified in the isooctane–benzene (1: 1) fraction were identified and determined by MF.Recoveries of the individual compounds in sediments were more than 80% in amounts ranging from 20 to 200 µg. In the sediment collected from Hirakata Bay, PAH including fluoranthene, pyrene, 1,2-benzanthracene, chrysene, 3,4-benzpyrene (1,2-benzpyrene), perylene and 1,12-benzperylene, were identified and determined at concentrations ranging from 24...