Source apportionment of elevated PAH concentrations in sediments near deep marine outfalls in Esquimalt and Victoria, BC, Canada: Is coal from an 1891 shipwreck the source?

► Coal from the collier could account for most alkyl PAHs in sediments. ► Waste from a former coal gas plant is a likely source for elevated parent PAHs in sediments. ► Wastewater PAHs from oils and liquid fossil fuel combustion soot are dispersed and degraded. ► PAHs in wood char particles predominate in sediments near the outfalls.