The GEEP Workshop: organic chemical analyses

For the GEEP Workshop, gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GUMS) analyses ofselected 2- to 5-ring aromatic hydrocarbons were performed for water, sediments, mussels Mytilusedulis and crabs Carcinus maenas in the mesocosm experiment at Solbergstrand. The experimentinvolved dosing of 3 different concentrations of diesel oil and copper to the mesocosm basins, and thechemical analysis showed that elevated abundance of compounds from the diesel oil could be detectedin water and organisms but not in sediments. Mussels and crabs sampled along a pollution gradient inLangesundfjord were analysed for selected aromatic hydrocarbons by GUMS and for selected PCBs byGC. The concentrations formed a clear gradient from the 'cleanest' site in Langesund Bay (Site l),through increasing levels of contamination (Sites 2 and 3), to the most contaminated site at the head ofLangesundfjord, closest to the industrial activity (Site 4). Mussels had the highest concentrations ofaromatic hydrocarbons, especially unsubstituted 4- and 5-ring PAHs, while crabs had the highestconcentrations of PCBs