Assessment of POPs in Masan Bay, Korea

Abstract

To provide the spatial distribution patterns, characteristics and potential biological risk of persistent organic pollutatns (POPs), such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs)s, in the Masan Bay, Korea, 29 surface sediments were collected in the March, 2010. The mean concentrations for PBDEs, PCBs and OCPs in this study were 10.8, 2.43 and 1.42 ng/g dry weight (dw), respectively, whereas three main groups of OCPs, such as DDTs, HCHs and CHLs, were 1.21, 0.15 and 0.06 ng/g dw, respectively. The inner bay and a sewage treatment plant outfall were identified as point sources of POPs in this bay. The overall concentrations of PCBs and OCPs in Masan Bay have been decreased since 2003. However PBDE does not showed a decreasing trend yet. To evaluate the ecotoxicological implication of sediment contamination, the concentrations of POPs in this study were compared with NOAA sediment quality guideline (SQG). PCBs, CHLs, p,p…-DDD, p,p…-DDE were lower than effect range-low (ERL) and effect range-median (ERM) values. However, six sites exceeded the ERL value for DDTs compounds, and two sites exceeded ERL value for ？-HCH. This indicated that levels of DDTs and ？-HCH at some sites may cause adverse biological effects.