Distribution and Partitioning of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Different Size Fractions in Sediments from Boston Harbor, United States

摘要

The concentrations of 16 US EPA priority pollutant polycyclic aromatichydrocrbons (PAHs) were analyzed in four size fractions (<62, 62-125, 125-250, and >250 μm) in three contaminated Boston Harbor sediments. Total PAH concentrations ranged from 7.3 to 358 μg/g Dry wt. And varied largely among the different size frac- Tions I these sediments. For all three sites, the highest PAH concentrations were associated with the large size (>250 μm) fractions while the fine silt and clay fractions (62 μm) contained relatively low PAHs. Despite the great concentration differences, the composition of PAHs in the four size fractions of these sediments showed similar patterns dominated by PAHs with three or more rings.