Case study of PAHs, Me-PAHs, PCBs,Phthalates and Pesticides Contamination in the Somme River water, France

Abstract

Surface waters, especially natural rivers always act as receiving waters for various kinds of<br />organic contaminants from municipal and industrial wastewaters, agricultural activities, organic chemicals in<br />use, non-point source pollutions. Due to their toxicity, persistency and wide diffusion, polychlorinated<br />biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and their alkylated<br />homologues (Me-PAHs) are among the organic contaminants the most often monitored in the environment.<br />Determination of the contamination level is the crucial first step of environmental research. Field investigations<br />have clearly demonstrated their importance on various studies on the contamination levels, the origin, and<br />impact of contaminants in the aquatic ecosystems. The present paper is an effort on the field studies focusing<br />on persistent organic pollutants: PCBs, PAHs and Me-PAHs, phthalates and pesticides in Somme River water<br />located on Northern France. The sampling zone is characterized by fields of agriculture surrounding urbanized<br />and industrialized areas and constitutes a place embedded with strong fishing activities. However, the river<br />section of interest is also known for the high levels of PCB in sediments. The water were analyzed for 28<br />PCBs, 16 PAHs and 18 Me-PAHs, 6 phthalates and 28 pesticides with the aim to determine the dispersion<br />trend and the water quality of the sampled water.