TY - JOUR

T1 - Is Fucus a suitable biomonitoring organism for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination? A study from the Faroe Islands

AU - Knøfler, Ida Huusmann

AU - Andersson, Kirstine Evald

AU - Becker, Richard Leonard

AU - Christiansen, Sigurd

AU - Nielsen, Nikoline J.

AU - Christensen, Jan H.

N1 - Funding Information: Open access funding provided by Copenhagen University Our work was financially supported by grants including Professor Sigurd Torvborgs Grant and Danish Chemical Society. Ida Huusmann Knøfler received funding from Smediefonden to cover travel expenses. Sigurd Christiansen was supported by the Carlsberg Foundation (grant number CF20-0637). Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - To evaluate seaweed as a biomonitoring organism, Fucus was sampled in the Faroe Islands. Nineteen PAHs, including the EPA 16, and four groups of alkylated PAHs were quantified using GC–MS analysis of extracts obtained using a modified QuEchERS method with ultrasonication in acetonitrile, back-extraction into hexane, and Florisil® cleanup. Samples from the harbor of Tórshavn collected at high tide were the most polluted with PAH concentrations between 1.3 × 102 and 1.7 × 102 ng/g wet weight. All samples contained a factor 10 higher concentrations of alkylated PAHs compared to their parent compounds. These results suggest that Fucus might be suitable as a biomonitoring organism for PAH pollution. Differences between samples collected in close proximity and on different days were observed (same range of RSD 14–120% and 60–102%, respectively), suggesting that water exchange, tide levels, and direct exposure to surface diesel pollution have a strong influence on pollutant uptake in Fucus. The findings stress the need for further evaluation of the sampling strategy.

AB - To evaluate seaweed as a biomonitoring organism, Fucus was sampled in the Faroe Islands. Nineteen PAHs, including the EPA 16, and four groups of alkylated PAHs were quantified using GC–MS analysis of extracts obtained using a modified QuEchERS method with ultrasonication in acetonitrile, back-extraction into hexane, and Florisil® cleanup. Samples from the harbor of Tórshavn collected at high tide were the most polluted with PAH concentrations between 1.3 × 102 and 1.7 × 102 ng/g wet weight. All samples contained a factor 10 higher concentrations of alkylated PAHs compared to their parent compounds. These results suggest that Fucus might be suitable as a biomonitoring organism for PAH pollution. Differences between samples collected in close proximity and on different days were observed (same range of RSD 14–120% and 60–102%, respectively), suggesting that water exchange, tide levels, and direct exposure to surface diesel pollution have a strong influence on pollutant uptake in Fucus. The findings stress the need for further evaluation of the sampling strategy.

KW - Alkylated PAHs

KW - GC–MS

KW - Marine pollution

KW - PAHs

KW - Seaweed

U2 - 10.1007/s11356-024-32658-7

DO - 10.1007/s11356-024-32658-7

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 38453760

AN - SCOPUS:85186863994

VL - 31

SP - 26699

EP - 26712

JO - Environmental Science and Pollution Research

JF - Environmental Science and Pollution Research

SN - 0944-1344

ER -