Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH
Volume 40, Issue 4, Pages 1609-1627Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10653-018-0075-2
Keywords
Agricultural effluents; Industrial effluents; Water pollution; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); Molecular signatures; Carcinogenic risk assessment
Categories
Funding
- Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Tunisia
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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are of great concern due to their persistence, bioaccumulation and toxic properties. The occurrence, source and ecological risk assessment of 26 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in industrial and agricultural effluents affecting the Wadi El Bey watershed were investigated by means of gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis (GC/MS). Total PAHs (a 26 PAH) ranged from 1.21 to 91.7 A mu g/L. The 4- and 5-ring compounds were the principal PAHs detected in most of 5 sites examined. Diagnostic concentration ratios and molecular indices were performed to identify the PAH sources. Results show that PAHs could originate from petrogenic, pyrolytic and mixed sources. According to the ecotoxicological assessment, the potential risk associated with PAHs affecting agricultural and industrial effluents ranged from moderate to high for both aquatic ecosystem and human health. The toxic equivalency factor (TEF) approach indicated that benzo[a]pyrene and benz[a]anthracene were the principal responsible for carcinogenic power of samples.
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