Environmental levels of Linear alkylbenzene Sulfonates (LAS) in sediments from the Tagus estuary (Portugal): Environmental implications

Miriam Hampel, J. Canário, V. Branco, C. Vale, J. Blasco

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Sediments from the Tagus estuary (Portugal) were collected at 40 stations in July and December 2004. Total LAS concentrations ranged between 0.03 and 17.76 mg LAS·kg-1 dry weight in July, and between 0.09 and 9.57 mg LAS·kg-1 in December. Highest LAS concentrations were found at the upper northern part of the estuary, coincident with the localisation of an important waste water treatment station. According to the Predicted No Effect Concentration (PNEC) of 8.1 mg·kg-1 derived for this compound, Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) identified a hazard for the ecosystem at the station with the highest LAS concentration, and similar results are obtained by Equilibrium Partitioning Method (EPM). Nevertheless, LAS concentrations decreased significantly between samplings in the stations with the highest LAS concentrations in July, whereas increased LAS concentrations at adjacent stations were found in December. In the remaining stations, LAS concentrations were up to three orders of magnitude lower, representing no hazard for the sediment community.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)151-161
Number of pages11
JournalEnvironmental Monitoring and Assessment
Volume149
Issue number1-4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Benthic community
  • Linear alkylbenzene sulphonates
  • Seasonal variation
  • Surface sediments
  • Tagus estuary

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