Coastal areas in central Adriatic Sea, central and northern Tyrrhenian Sea

Concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the water column

Unknown

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated pesticides and polychlorobiphenyls have been identified and determined in coastal sediments by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after Soxhlet extraction with a petroleum ether-acetone mixture. Samples were collected in three different areas along the Italian coast, namely: central Adriatic Sea, between the towns of San Benedetto del Tronto and Termoli; central Tyrrhenian Sea, along the coast of Tuscany (between the harbours of Livorno and Piombino); and northern Tyrrhenian Sea in front of Vado Ligure. All the sampling sites were about 1 km from the coast. 25, 29 and 22 samples were obtained at each location, respectively, and the 0-20 cm layer of sediment was sampled by using a shipeck grab. Samples were placed in glass container, 5 ml of sodium azide (0.05 M) being added to avoid bacterial growth and stored in frozen condition.

ENEA Centro Ricerche Ambiente Marino (La Spezia)
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Lerici

19036
Italy