Historical accumulation of organic contaminants in sediment cores from Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays
- North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States). Dept. of Toxicology
Trace level concentrations of over 50 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and linear alkyl benzenes (LAB), 16 chlorinated pesticides, and 20 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were measured in sediment cores collected at ten sampling stations located in Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays. The sediment cores were dated by using Pb-210. PAH and LAB values ranged from 36--30388 ng/g and < 1--181 ng/g (dry weight), respectively. Pesticide and PCB values ranged from 0.8--23 ng/g and 0.8--35 ng/g, respectively. As expected, the contaminant concentrations correlate with the amount of organic carbon in the sediment and generally decrease with increasing age of the sediment and increasing distance from Boston Harbor, the major historical source of many of these contaminants. Total inventories of contaminants in Massachusetts Bay were calculated and used to help construct a contaminant mass balance for the region. Down-core profiles were used to help reconstruct historical loading to the region. The relative distributions of contaminants in the sediment were used, along with source distributions (fingerprints), to calculate the contribution of each source to the measured sediment inventory. LABs were particularly useful in distinguishing the Boston Harbor sewage effluent from other sources. Implications to the long term fate and effects of contaminants in Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays will be presented.
- OSTI ID:
- 390165
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: IM9646%%450
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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