Contamination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in seawater and sediments of West-Northern coasts of the Persian Gulf

Abstract

In order to investigate the pollution levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Deylam at Bushehr province of the Persian Gulf, samples of water and sediments were collected from 12 sampling sites and analyzed for PAHs by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Results indicated low to high pollution levels in sediment samples and moderate to high contamination levels in seawater samples.<br> To determine the source of pollution, the ratios of Low Molecular Weight/High Molecular Weight, Phenanthrene/Anthracene and, Fluoranthene/pyrene were calculated. According to the results, the main sources of PAHs in sediment and water samples in the studied area turned out to be from both pyrroletic and pertogenic inputs, with the predominance of petrogenic sources due to recent oil spill. Concentrations of tPAH in this study were about 42 to 180 times higher those in previous studies for water samples, which is a threat to the lives of aquatic biota, and hence human beings.