Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the mariculture zones of China's northern Yellow Sea

摘要

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected in water and sediment samples collected from three mariculture zones in China's northern Yellow Sea. In these samples, total PAH concentrations ranged from 110.8 ng/L to 997.2 ng/L and 142.2 ng/g dry weight (dw) to 750.2 ng/g dw, respectively. The log K_(oc) values of the various PAH compounds examined in this study increased with the log K_(ow) values, which is consistent with the prediction regarding PAH behavior in the environment. However, these K_(oc) values were lower than the predicted values as a result of the effects of organic matters, which were abundant in the mariculture water. The isomeric ratios of the PAHs in sediment indicated that the source of the PAHs in the mariculture zones were mainly pyrolytic. The TEQ~(carc) values of PAHs ranged from 7 ng TEQ/g dw to 92 ng TEQ/g dw, and only a few samples met the safe criterion with respect to individual PAH concentrations.