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Qualitative and quantitative analyses of petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations in a trout stream contaminated by an aviation kerosene spill
Author(s) -
Guiney Patrick D.,
Sykora Jan L.,
Keleti George
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620060205
Subject(s) - environmental science , kerosene , contamination , environmental chemistry , sediment , petroleum , water quality , hydrocarbon , hydrology (agriculture) , chemistry , geology , ecology , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , biology
Abstract Kerosene‐range hydrocarbons were monitored in a small central Pennsylvania stream watershed, over two years (1982 to 1984), after a pipeline leak of about 1,310 barrels of aviation kerosene. This study, part of a two‐phased program, was designed to detect and quantify hydrocarbon concentrations in freshwater environmental compartments impacted by the spill. Various methods of analysis were employed. Field conditions required careful documentation of methodologies and quality assurance practices for sample collection and analysis to ensure the validity of results. The concentration of kerosene‐range hydrocarbons and total organic carbon in the contaminated stream water typically decreased during the initial months after the spill and generally remained at or below background levels after 3 months. Elevated concentrations of hydrocarbons, however, were detected in sediment samples and tissues of fish collected from two impacted bridge locations up to 14 months after the spill occurred. These two bridges were primary boom recovery sites during spill cleanup activities. Bottom sediments from pools near these sites contained approximately two to three times the corresponding hydrocarbon concentrations detected in fish tissues from the same area. This information appears to suggest that these surface sediments may have served as secondary storage sinks for residual, sinking product not recovered during the initial skimming operations. These residues were apparently available for uptake by resident fish. No kerosene‐range hydrocarbons were detected in these surface sediments after 21 months, and other stream water quality parameters remained within normal limits. Our results indicated that fused‐silica capillary GC offered high resolution and precision and provided reasonable detection limits for analyzing kerosene‐range hydrocarbons in the contaminated environmental compartments investigated in this study.