Distribution and source of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)‎ in surficial sediment from Shatt Al-Hilla River, IRAQ

الملخص EN

The presence of organic pollutant in aquatic systems poses a serious threat to environmental health.

Surface sediment collected from Shatt Al-Hilla (branch of Euphrates River, a few kilometers southern Al-Musayab town)/Iraq, in 1995 for studying levels, distribution and origin of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs).

The concentration of naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, (Benz (a) anthracene + Chrysene) and Benzo (b) fluoranthene were measured in five stations.

The total of these compounds Σ PAHs were ranged from 26.668 to 900.042 ng /g (dry weight).

There were significant differences between various sites of the study area.

The highest is in the area adjacent to high way traffic across the river and all studied PAHs resulted from pyrogenic and petrogenic origin.