Persistent organic pollutants in the bottom sediments of estuaries of three rivers of Peter the great gulf (sea of Japan)

About the authors:

Olga N. Lukyanova, Dr. Biol. Sci., Principle Investigator, Laboratory of Applied Excology and Toxicology, Pacific Scientific Research Fisheries Centre, Professor of Ecology Department, Far Eastern Federal University
Efim S. Brodskiy, Dr.  Chem.  Sci., Head of Laboratory of Analytical Ecotoxicology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences

Grigoriy M. Chuiko, Dr. Biol. Sci., Head of Laboratory of Physiology and Toxicology of Aquatic Animals, I.D. Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract:

Persistent organic pollutant (POP) contents in the bottom sediments of estuaries of three rivers (Razdol’naya, Sukhodol and Gladkaya) in the basin of Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan, Primorsky Territory, Russia) were studied using high resolution chromato-massspectrometry method. It is shown that POPs are ranged in accordance with decrease of their contents as follows DDT≥PCBs>HCH>HCB. Their highest levels are revealed in the bottom sediments of Razdol’naya River where they are 44.7, 32.6, 2.2 и 0.75 μg/kg dry weight. That is 1.5-27.7 times above Canadian ecologically safety sediment quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. In Russian such guidelines are absent. In the bottom sediments of other rivers POP content was as low as a basic level for Central European part of Russia. These results and data on quality profile of POPs suggest that input of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to the rivers is global transboundary transfer while organochlorine pesticides (OCP) could enter from the local sources.

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