Evaluation of surface sediment contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in colony Z3—(Patos Lagoon, Brazil)

This paper describes the extraction and analysis of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in five points of the Patos Lagoon Estuary. These points were in the area named “colony Z3”, which is a craft fishermen community in Pelotas City (southern Brazil). Samples were collected in July of 2007, and the concentrations of 16 USEPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometry detector (GC/MS). The PAH concentrations ranged from 4.7 to 112.5 µg kg− 1 dry weight. Sediment samples with the highest PAH concentrations appeared at point 2, which is a pier. The correlation between the total organic material (TOM) and the total PAH concentration suggests that TOM plays an important role in controlling the PAH levels in sediments. According to the observed ratios of individual PAHs, the contamination in the studied areas originated both from high-temperature pyrolytic processes and petrogenic sources. The levels of PAHs at the studied sites in the Z3 colony (Patos Lagoon) were low enough that they should not exert adverse biological effects.