Concentrations of PAHs, PCBs and OC pesticides in intertidal marine gastropods of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea).

Abstract

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic organic compounds able to persist in the Environment for long time. They can be accumulated through food webs and this could be a risk to some extent to threat human health and environmental quality. Marine currents represent further important distribution way of POPs through marine habitats and organisms. In Sicily, no much attention has been paid on POPs distribution on coastal habitats, important reservoirs of biodiversity, even if these are strongly influenced by anthropogenic pressure. In this study, concentrations of PCBs, OCPs and PAHs were analyzed in pools of marine species such as Patella sp., Monodonta turbinata and Purpura haemastoma, taken from four sites along the west sicilian coast (Isola delle Femmine, Sferracavallo, Stagnone di Marsala and Menfi). Samples were analysed for their POPs content by using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Analysis of 15 congeners of PAHs concentrations were carried out, but only 4 of them were found in significant amount. In the PCBs concentration’s analysis only PCB 153 was detected in samples of M. turbinata coming from two (Sferracavallo and Menfi) of the four sampling sites. The OCPs concentrations were the highest detected in the organisms. The isomers of DDT: p,p’-DDE and o,p’-DDE, were found in significant amount in samples of P. haemastoma (Stagnone) and M. turbinata (Isola delle Femmine).