Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments and marine organisms from the Daya Bay, South China

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in the marine ecosystem of the Daya Bay, South China. The PAH concentrations ranged from 340 to 710 ng/g dry weight in the sediments and from 110 to 520 ng/g wet weight in marine organisms, respectively. The dominant compounds were three- and four-ring PAHs in the sediments (53%-89%) and two- and three-ring PAHs in the marine species (67%-94%), respectively. PAHs mainly originated from both pyrolytic and petrogenic sources. Comparison with the effects-based sediment quality guideline values suggested that the ecological risk caused by the total PAHs was relatively low (less than 25% incidence of adverse effects) in the sedimentary environment. The median cancer risk level via seafood consumption (1.6 × 10− 5 for urban residents and 1.2 × 10− 5 for rural residents, respectively) was slightly higher than the maximum admissible level (10− 5) set by US EPA, but lower than the priority risk level (10− 4).