The Occurrence and Effects of Organic Micropollutants in Salt Marsh Sediments with Reference to the UK Essex Coast: A Review

摘要

The input sources of major anthropogenic organic micropollutants (including organochlorine, organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides; s-triazine, phenylurea and chlorophenoxy acid herbicides; polychlorinated biphenyls; polyaromatic hydrocarbons; phthalates; chlorophenols; chlorinated hydrocarbons; petroleum hydrocarbons) and biological and chemical processes acting on the contaminants during transport and residence in salt marsh sediments are evaluated. The toxic effects of the compounds on flora and fauna of the salt marsh ecosystem are reviewed and the lack of quantitative and qualitative information on the concentrations, distribution and effects of many of these compounds in the salt marsh environment is highlighted.