Perylene, sediment concentrations

In an assessment of STORET data covering the period 1980-1982, Staples et al. (1985) reported median concentrations in sediment of <500 gg/kg dry weight for 15 PAHs (acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, anthracene, benz[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[g,h,i]perylene, benzo[a]pyrene, chrysene, fluoranthene, fluorene, indenopyrene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene). The number of sample ranged from 236 (anthracene) to 360 (benzo[a]pyrene, fluoranthene) the percentage of samples in which these PAHs were detected ranged from 6.0 (acenaphthene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene) to 22.0 (fluoranthene, pyrene). 

With respect to further PACs analysed in the sediment core (see Tab. 1), concentration profiles very similar to the one of benz[a]anthracene were detected for most of the substances. This group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) include acenaphthylene, anthracene, chrysene, fluoranthene, phenanthrene, fluorene and pyrene. Only for perylene the distribution within the sediment core resembled the ones of benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[x]fluoranthene (x = b,k). 

It was widely accepted that perylene was a preface index to reflect the material input of terrestrial origin. In the surface sediments from the NYS, perylene concentrations ranged from 21.6 to 126 ng/g, accounting for 6.9% 24% of the total PAHs concentrations. Fig. 3.70 (Li et ah, 2002) illustrated the ratios of perylene to PAHs. 

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are low in concentration, and no human pollution effects were detected. Perylene data suggest active diagenesis down the sediment core. 

Rgure 3 Concentrations of PAHs in a sediment core from Kitimat Arm, Douglas Channel, British Columbia. O - total unsubstituted PAHs A - unsubstituted perylene - phenan-threne x -fluoranthrene <>-2-methylphenanthrene. (Adapted from Simpson CD, Harrington CF, Cullen WR, Bright DA, and Reimer KJ (1998) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination in marine sediments near Kitimat, British Columbia. Environmental Science and Technology 32 3266-3272.)... 

Concentration sums of the lower molecular weight PAHs (Table 2, naphthalene to anthracene) obtained for the surficial sediment samples collected at sites 3B and 5B were 1040 and 920 pg/kg dry wt., respectively. Corresponding sums of the higher molecular weight PAHs (fluoranthene to benzo[g,h,i]perylene) were 9600 and 5800 pg/kg dry wt. TOC concentrations were... 

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