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PCBs and PAHs in surficial sediments from aquatic environments of Mexico City and the coastal states of Sonora, Sinaloa, Oaxaca and Veracruz (Mexico)

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in 13 surficial sediment samples collected at three lacustrine locations in the surroundings of Mexico City and four coastal areas of the States of Sinaloa, Sonora, Oaxaca and Veracruz. Total PCB concentrations span the interval 3.18–621 ng g−1. The highest values (63.7–621 ng g−1) were found in Mexico City, which is a highly anthropogenically impacted area, whereas low concentrations (3.18–12.9 ng g−1) were characteristic of seven places, some of them subject to intense hydrodynamics. In these latter cases, values increase by 18–73 times if normalised against the fine fraction (silt plus clay) content in sediment. Two samples from Mexico City exceed the ERM (Effect Range Median) guidelines and are likely to cause adverse effects. Samples contain only lower chlorinated PCBs (mainly 2-, 3- and 4-CB), thus suggesting that the most used PCB commercial mixture was Aroclor 1242. The homologue composition of the sample taken close to the nuclear power plant of Laguna Verde is identical to this commercial mixture. PAHs in the same samples have relatively low concentrations (14.9–287 ng g−1), well below ERL (Effect Range Low) guidelines. The composition of PAH mixtures accounts for the influence of both petrogenic and pyrolitic sources, with these latter prevailing at some places in Mexico City.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the technical assistance provided by S. Romano, M. Vecchiato, H. Bojórquez-Leyva, G. Ramírez-Renséndiz, M.C. Ramírez-Jáuregui and V. Montes-Montes. Financial support was partially provided by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología and UNAM-CIC International Academic Exchange Program and International Mobility CONACyT-CNR (grants to A.C. Ruiz-Fernández). This is contribution No. 1572 from the CNR-Istituto di Scienze Marine, Sede di Bologna (Italy).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Università di Venezia, Dorsoduro 2137, 30123, Venezia, Italy

    Rossano Piazza & Ivo Moret

  2. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, P.O. Box 811, 82000, Mazatlán, México

    Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández & Federico Páez-Osuna

  3. Istituto di Scienze Marine, Sezione di Geologia Marina, CNR, Via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy

    Mauro Frignani & Luca Giorgio Bellucci

  4. Istituto per la Dinamica dei Processi Ambientali, CNR, Dorsoduro 2137, 30123, Venezia, Italy

    Rossano Piazza, Roberta Zangrando & Ivo Moret

  5. El Colegio de Sinaloa, Rosales 435 Pte, Culiacán, Sin., México

    Federico Páez-Osuna

Authors
  1. Rossano Piazza
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  2. Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández
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  3. Mauro Frignani
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  4. Roberta Zangrando
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  5. Luca Giorgio Bellucci
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  6. Ivo Moret
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  7. Federico Páez-Osuna
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Correspondence to Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández.

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Piazza, R., Ruiz-Fernández, A.C., Frignani, M. et al. PCBs and PAHs in surficial sediments from aquatic environments of Mexico City and the coastal states of Sonora, Sinaloa, Oaxaca and Veracruz (Mexico). Environ Geol 54, 1537–1545 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-0935-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-0935-z

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