title: Origin, distribution and toxicological potential of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments from the Bushehr coast, the Persian Gulf.
abstract: To evaluate the hazards of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Bushehr coastal zones, 12 surface sediments were analyzed. The ∑14PAHs concentrations varied from 371 to 611 ng g(-1) dw. The primary sources of the observed PAHs were pyrolytic processes, demonstrating the dominance of petroleum-related combustion inputs. The ERL/ERM and TEL/PEL values showed that there was a moderate level of toxicity risk for some PAHs. The toxicological significance of the pollutants was assessed using the toxic equivalency factor (TEF) to calculate both the toxic equivalent for dioxins (TEQTCDD) and the TEQ carcinogenic risks. Dibenz(a,h)anthracene exhibited the highest proportion in the TEQs, ranging from 49% to 56% (TEQcarc) and from 29% to 39% (TEQTCDD) regarding the overall toxicity in the sampled sediments. This result suggests that the ambient dibenz(a,h)anthracene concentration represents the risk posed by PAHs in the sediments. Moreover, using a specific sediment criterion demonstrated the bioaccumulation potential of benzo(a)pyrene for humans in the sampled sediments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Science, Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: mehdinia@inio.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mehdinia
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Science, Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Aghadadashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Science, Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Neda Sheijooni
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Fumani
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D019156:Indian Ocean; D007492:Iran; D010578:Petroleum / Q000032:analysis; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Bushehr coastal zones; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Sediment quality; Toxicity potential