Characterization and distribution of trace organic contaminants in sediment from Masan Bay, Korea. 1. Instrumental analysis

Masan Bay, located on the southeast coast of Korea, is a long and narrow inlet of a semi-closed bay that receives industrial and municipal wastewaters from the cities of Masan and Changwon. In this study, sediments collected from 28 locations on Masan Bay were analyzed for total organic carbon (TOC), nonylphenol (NP), octylphenol (OP), bisphenol A (BPA), organochlorine pesticides (HCB, HCHs, CHLs, and DDTs), individual polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocabons (PAHs) to characterize their spatial distribution and contamination status. Concentrations of NP in sediment ranged from 113 to 3890 ng/g on a dry weight basis (dry wt), whereas concentrations of OP and BPA were, on average, 20-110-fold less than those of NP. PAHs were predominated by 4-6-ring compounds with concentrations in the range of 54.1-1100 ng/g dry wt. Concentrations of PCBs in sediment, which were predominated by tetra- and pentachlorobiphenyl congeners, ranged from 10.3 to 148 ng/g, dry wt. Among different OC pesticides analyzed, concentrations of DDTs were the greatest, ranging from 0.4 to 12.6 ng/g dry wt. NP concentrations were greater at coastal locations proximal to the discharges of creeks from inland areas, whereas the concentrations of PCBs and PAHs were greater near the sites of industrial and shipping activities. Concentrations of target analytes were not related to TOC. Although the mean concentrations of PCBs and PAHs in sediments were less than the suggested sediment quality guidelines (SQG), their concentrations in some locations were close to or above the SQG for toxic effects in benthic organisms.