Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) distributions in the Bay of Marmara sea: İzmit Bay

Toxic concentrations of PAHs and PCBs were found in İzmit Bay of the Marmara Sea, Turkey. In 1999, the concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the total PAH and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in sea water, sediment and mussels collected along the coast of İzmit Bay, the most important bay of the Marmara Sea. The total-PAH concentrations, measured by Spectrofluorometry were in the range of 1.16–13.68 μg/l in sea water, in the range of 30.0–1670.0 μg/g dry weight in sediments and in the range from 5.67 to 14.81 μg/g wet weight in edible part of mussel. HPLC revealed Phenanthrene (three rings), chrysene (four rings) and benz[ a]antracene (five rings) to be the dominant PAHs in sea water, while 16 different PAHs compounds were observed and measured in mussel samples. The most pollution occured at Doǧu Kanali and Dil Deresi where were the main rivers containing wastes fall into the the İzmit Bay. Although the maximum mono-ortho PCB concentrations in sea water were measured in the Dil Deresi River (26.33 ng/l) and the Solventaş (22.19 ng/l) stations, maximum PCB concentrations in mussels were measured in the SEKA (28.11 μg/kg) and the Dil Deresi River (25.68 μg/kg). The dominant congeners of PCBs were from tetra to hexachlorobiphenyls. The toxicity equivalent values were very low in sea water and mussels.