Journal
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
Volume 60, Issue 11, Pages 2137-2143Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.07.027
Keywords
Coprostanol; Sediments; Sewage; Paranagua Bay
Funding
- CAPES (Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior)
- CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico)
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Urban sewage is considered one of the most important sources of marine pollution in South America, because most coastal cities do not have proper facilities to treat and dispose of sewage. The Paranagua estuarine system is an important estuarine environment of the South American coast where fishing, urban and tourist activities, industries and the main Brazilian grain shipping port are potential sources of pollution in this area. The anthropogenic input of sedimentary organic matter, represented by sewage contribution, was evaluated by fecal steroid concentrations. The coprostanol levels were comparatively low (<0.10 mu g g(-1)), except at the sites close to Paranagua city, where the coprostanol concentration reached 2.22 mu g g(-1) showing strong sewage contamination. Fecal steroid levels were comparable to the lower to midrange concentrations reported for coastal sediments worldwide. The results of this work demonstrated that sewage pollution can be considered a problem for a small part of the Paranagua estuary. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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