Anthropogenic waste indicators (AWIs), particularly PAHs and LABs, in Malaysian sediments: Application of aquatic environment for identifying anthropogenic pollution

Masood N; Zakaria MP; Halimoon N; Aris AZ; Magam SM; Kannan N; Mustafa S; Ali MM; Keshavarzifard M; Vaezzadeh V; Alkhadher SA; Al-Odaini NA

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.11.032

Anthropogenic waste indicators (AWIs), particularly PAHs and LABs, in Malaysian sediments: Application of aquatic environment for identifying anthropogenic pollution

Masood N ¹ , Zakaria MP ² , Halimoon N ¹ , Aris AZ ¹ , Magam SM ¹ , Kannan N ¹ Show all authors , Mustafa S ³ , Ali MM ⁴ , Keshavarzifard M ¹ , Vaezzadeh V ¹ , Alkhadher SA ¹ , Al-Odaini NA ⁵

Affiliations

¹ Environmental Forensics Research Center (ENFORCE), Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
² Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Malaya, 16310 Bachok, Kelantan, Malaysia. Electronic address: mpauzi57@um.edu.my
³ Halal Products Research Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 4300 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
⁴ School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
⁵ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University Sana'a, Sana'a, Yemen

Mar Pollut Bull, 2016 Jan 15;102(1):160-75.

PMID: 26616745 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.11.032

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) were used as anthropogenic markers of organic chemical pollution of sediments in the Selangor River, Peninsular Malaysia. This study was conducted on sediment samples from the beginning of the estuary to the upstream river during dry and rainy seasons. The concentrations of ƩPAHs and ƩLABs ranged from 203 to 964 and from 23 to 113 ng g(-1) dry weight (dw), respectively. In particular, the Selangor River was found to have higher sedimentary levels of PAHs and LABs during the wet season than in the dry season, which was primarily associated with the intensity of domestic wastewater discharge and high amounts of urban runoff washing the pollutants from the surrounding area. The concentrations of the toxic contaminants were determined according to the Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs). The PAH levels in the Selangor River did not exceed the SQGs, for example, the effects range low (ERL) value, indicating that they cannot exert adverse biological effects.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.