Distribution of organochlorine pesticides in sediments and mussels from the Istanbul Strait.

This study was conducted to determine the status and trends of organochlorine pesticide (OCP) compounds in the sediment and mussel samples collected along the Istanbul Strait and from the coasts of an island in the Marmara Sea. The total concentrations of OCPs were found in the range of 40-13,852 pg g(-1) dry weight for sediments and 5,195-12,322 pg g(-1) wet weight for mussels. The levels of OCPs in both sediments and mussels were dominated by DDTs and HCHs; β-HCH, 4,4(')-DDD and 4,4(')-DDE were the major pollutants. The degree of sediment pesticide contamination was more severe in the inner part of the strait. OCP concentrations in sediments and mussels were compared with the sediment guideline values and legal limits for human health, respectively. The results showed that OC pesticide contamination in the strait might not pose a serious threat to the health of the marine inhabitants at most of the stations

Determination of selected antibiotics in the Istanbul strait sediments by solid-phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography.

Surface sediments from 12 different locations of the Istanbul Strait and Marmara Sea, Turkey were analysed for five antibiotics belonging to two different groups of widely used pharmaceuticals, tetracyclines (TCs) and fluoroquinolones (FQs), by solid-phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography. These two groups of antibiotics, mainly used to prevent or treat illness for humans as well as for animals, are frequently detected in the effluent of municipal sewage plants, in the aquatic environments and in soils after being spread by liquid manure. The results of analysis revealed that measured concentrations of individual antibiotics were significantly different depending on sampling location. Chlortetracycline (CTC) was not detected in any of the samples. High concentrations were mainly found in urbanized regions of the Strait. The concentrations of the two tetracyclines ranged from not detectable to 27.3 mu g kg(-1) in freeze-dried marine sediments. Comparable results were obtained for the two fluoroquinolones with concentration levels from 1.3 mu g kg(-1) up 34.1 mu g kg(-1). This study is the first attempt to show the contamination degree of the Istanbul Strait sediments by emerging contaminants. Particular concern should be given concerning their potential side effects caused by the frequent consumption of mussels and fishes captured in the Istanbul Strait

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and effects on marine organisms in the Istanbul Strait.

Surficial sediments and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from the Istanbul Strait and Marmara Sea were analysed for sixteen parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contents by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (CC-MS) employing isotope dilution technique. Microalgae toxicity testing was applied to sediment elutriates and biological responses in terms of filtration rate and lysosomal stability were measured in mussels. Total PAH concentrations ranged from 2.1 to 3152 ng g(-1) dry wt in sediments and from 43-601 ng g(-1) wet weight in mussels. Molecular indices of phenanthrene/anthracene, fluoranthene/pyrene and benzo (a)a nth race ne/chrysene were used to differentiate between pyrolytic and petroleum origin. Results showed that most of the contamination originates from high temperature pyrolytic inputs with some slight contribution of petrogenic PAH. PAH in sediments were frequently lower than the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-ERM (Effects Range Medium) index. Results of sediment elutriate toxicity testing and biomarkers indicate that the cause of negative effects in sediments may result from different classes of pollutants and does not only relate with PAH contamination. Mussels from most of the stations showed both reduced lysosomal membrane stability and filtration rate indicating disturbed health although the two biomarker results did not always complement each other. The effect studies showed that the pollutants in the strait ecosystem have more pronounced effects in the middle parts than those at the Black Sea entrance

Water concentrations of PAH, PCB and OCP by using semipermeable membrane devices and sediments.

Water concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were estimated from semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and from sediment pollutant concentrations. SPMDs were deployed in the Istanbul Strait and Marmara Sea and retrieved after 7 and 21 days. Performance reference compounds (PRCs) were used to determine the site-specific sampling rates of the compounds. Water concentrations (C-w) of the analyzed compounds estimated by using two different calculation methods for SPMDs were found similar. C-w of total PAHs estimated from SPMDs (Cw-spmd) were found between 13 and 79 ng L-1 and between 7.0 and 68 ng L-1 for 7 and 21 days of deployments respectively. Water concentrations of PCBs using sediment data was found as between 0.001 and 11.0 ng L-1. The highest value of Cw-spmd for two deployments were 2.8 ng L-1 for OCPs. C-w estimated from sediment concentrations were generally higher than those estimated from SPMDs. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

PCB and PCDD/F in sediments and mussels of the Istanbul strait (Turkey).

Sediment and mussel samples collected along the coasts of the Istanbul strait and an island in Marmara Sea (Turkey) were analyzed for six indicator polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), 12 dioxin-like PCB (dl-PCB) and 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/furan (PCDD/F) congeners. Samples contained different concentrations of PCBs and among these, congeners 153, 75, 105 and 118 in sediments and congeners 153, 138 and 118 in mussels were most abundant. The concentration levels of total PCBs and PCDD/Fs in sediments ranged from 17.9 to 539 746 pg g(-1) dm and 2.04 to 60.5 pg g(-1) dm, respectively. The total WHO-TEQ values ranged between 0.01 and 17.8 pg g(-1) dm in sediments, and 0.98 and 1.01 pg g(-1) ww in mussels. None of the sediment and mussel samples analyzed exceeded the limits suggested in the sediment quality guideline and safe values set by the European Community for seafood intended for human consumption, respectively

Complementary chemical and biological determination of dioxin-like compounds in sediments of Istanbul Strait.

Bosphorus and Dardanelles form the Turkish Straits System together with the Marmara Sea. The system provides a connection between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Istanbul and its coastal environment have been strongly affected by wastewater discharges, high population and heavy ship traffic. The aim of this study is to provide a comparison between the chemical and biological analysis of surface sediment samples, which were collected from 17 different coastal stations of the Istanbul Strait, to determine the pollutants and comparable effect related data. For the chemical analysis, PAH, PCDD/F and PCB isotope dilution techniques, and for the biological analysis, Micro EROD (24-h and 72-h) assay were employed. Highest values were found at the most polluted sites due to ship traffic and wastewater discharges. Most of the results of chemical analysis were lower or close to biological analysis, except for the samples from two stations where antagonistic modulators are indicated to be present in the Micro EROD assay. This study suggests that the WWTP discharges into Bosphorus and the heavy ship traffic are important sources of pollution in the sediment, as evidenced by high concentrations of toxic and persistent organic chemicals. Local discharges of the megacity should be further decreased

Organic and heavy metal pollution in shipbreaking yards.

Sediment samples were collected from five stations in Aliaga Shipbreaking Yard which is located in the coastal area of the Aegean Sea. To determine the pollution levels in marine environment resulting from the shipbreaking activities, organic pollutant and metal levels were investigated in the collected samples. Organic pollutants of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were analysed and found between the concentrations of 585-25000, 17-847 and 11-118 mu g/kg in dry weight, respectively. In addition, eight metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined in the sediment samples. The metal concentrations were found relatively higher compared to the values measured in the reference sampling station. The pollutant levels were compared with the concentrations in the sediment quality guidelines to assess the probable effects on marine ecosystems

Use of passive samplers in pollution monitoring: A numerical approach for marinas.

Triolein-containing semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and butyl rubber (BR) based sorbents were employed as passive samplers in 14 coastal stations of Turkey including shipyards and marinas to characterize time-integrated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and their relationship to potential pollution sources. Passive samplers of SPMDs and BR sorbents were deployed for 30days in the spring of 2012. The maximum concentrations of total PAH and PCB compounds sequestered by SPMDs were 3338ngg(-1) SPMD and 4247pgg(-1) SPMD. (END)-I and DDT-related compounds were dominant OCP compounds for most of the sites in passive samplers. Total PAH concentrations in SPMDs were found 1.2 to 8 times higher than the concentrations in BRs. However, BR sorbents were able to sample some PAHs which could not be sampled by SPMDs. The concentrations of PCBs and OCPs in BRs were similar or higher than SPMDs. SPMD-data were used to estimate the average ambient water concentrations of the contaminants. Two existing theoretical approaches have been used to derive the concentrations of hydrophobic pollutants in the ambient waters. The results were found very similar and range from 7318 to 183864pgL(-1) for PAHs, from 2 to 186pgL(-1) for PCBs, and from 98 to 848pgL(-1) for OCPs. Furthermore, a simple numerical model was designed to estimate the boat-related water concentrations in marinas by using the seawater data supplied by SPMDs. The model was mainly built on the water concentration and the capacities of a particular marina and then applied to two sites in the second marina. A good correlation was found between the model outputs and SPMD-water data

Heavy metal pollution in sediments and mussels: Assessment by using pollution indices and metallothionein levels.

In the present work, the concentration of eight metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) was determined in the sediments and transplanted and native mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis). The study was conducted in Turkish marinas, shipyards, and shipbreaking yards. The effect of metal pollution was evaluated by determining the levels of metallothionein (MT) in the mussels. The extent of contamination for each single metal was assessed by using the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and enrichment factor (EF). Whereas, to evaluate the overall metal pollution and effect, the pollution load index (PLI), modified contamination degree (mCd), potential toxicity response index (RI), mean effects range median (ERM) quotient (m-ERM-Q), and mean PEL quotient (m-PEL-Q) were calculated. The influence of different background values on the calculations was discussed. The results indicated a significant metal pollution caused by Cu, Pb, and Zn especially in shipyard and shipbreaking sites. Higher concentrations of MT were observed in the ship/breaking yard samples after the transplantation

Micro-organic pollutants and biological response of mussels in marinas and ship building/breaking yards in Turkey

Concentrations of PAHs, PCBs and OCPs in sediments and mussels (caged and/or native) were determined at 16 stations in six major sites of coastal Turkey. The biological effects of pollution were evaluated using sediment toxicity tests and enzyme activity assays. EROD, PROD, GST, AChE, CaE, and GR activities were evaluated using the digestive glands of mussels. The total PAH concentrations in the sediments varied between nd and 79,674 ng g−1 dw, while the total OCP concentrations were in the range of nd to 53.7 ng g−1 dw. The total PAH concentrations in mussels varied between 22.3 and 37.4 ng g−1 ww. The average concentrations of total PCBs in mussels were 2795 pg g−1 ww in the shipyard, 797 pg g−1 ww in Marina 2 and 53 pg g−1 ww in Marina 1 stations. The results of whole-sediment toxicity tests showed a strong correlation between toxicity test results and pollutant concentrations. Selected cytosolic enzyme activities in digestive glands differed significantly depending on localities. These differences in enzyme activities were mainly related to the different pollutant levels of the sampling sites. The micro-organic contaminant profile patterns, toxicity tests and biomarker studies showed that shipyards and shipbreaking yards are the major potential sources of organic pollution in coastal areas