Abstract
Previous characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals has been conducted in small craft harbour (SCH) sediments in Nova Scotia, Canada, but petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have not been spatiotemporally assessed. This study characterized the distribution of over 500 PHCs and PCBs samples in 31 SCHs sediments between 2000 and 2017. Federal and regional sediment quality guidelines were used to determine exceedances. Results showed exceedances for diesel and oil resembling PHCs, expected given their longer permanence in sediments and lower volatility. However, only 7% of the samples exceeded 500 ppm, threshold where benthic impairment is observed, showing low risk. PCBs do not pose high risk to biota since only six samples exceeded the higher effect level and 25% of them exceeded the lower effect one. Monitoring is recommended for SCHs with significant exceedances, as well as collectively assessing all contaminants characterized in SCHs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 113524 |
| Journal | Marine Pollution Bulletin |
| Volume | 177 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Thanks to DFO-SCH and PSPC for supplying sediment data. This study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Grant/Award Number: RGPIN-2018-04119 to Tony R. Walker, a NSERC CREATE: ASPIRE student scholarship and a Mitacs Globalink Graduate Fellowship to Myriam Mora.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Oceanography
- Aquatic Science
- Pollution
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article