Distribution of fragrances and PAHs in the surface seawater of the Sicily Channel, Central Mediterranean

The Mediterranean Sea is highly influenced by several anthropic pressures, including different kinds of organic pollutants. Fragrance Materials (FMs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in the surface seawater of the Sicily Channel in offshore and coastal areas. Total concentrations of FMs and PAHs resulted respectively up to 112ngL−1 and 43ngL−1, with similar distributions of both classes of analytes. Low values were detected in some coastal samples, due to the upwelling of deep and unpolluted waters, while the presence of gyres probably accumulates contaminants in offshore areas. Confirming previous works, the allergenic and oestrogenic Salicylates generally resulted the most abundant FMs and diagnostic ratios indicated combustion processes as the sources of PAHs. The coupling of the well-known PAHs with a new class of Personal Care Products (PCPs) helped the identification of the major environmental drivers: the results highlighted the role of mesoscale hydrodynamics and suggested long-range atmospheric transport as key factors. The first detection of the selected FMs in open sea areas supports the hypothesis of their environmental persistence. [Display omitted] •First study on PCPs in Mediterranean open seawater•Detailed distribution of PAHs in the Sicily Channel•Salicylates result the most abundant FMs.•Pyrogenic sources of PAHs•Marine currents and atmospheric transport are major drivers.