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Occurrence of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in superficial sediment of Portuguese estuaries

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Abstract

Superficial sediments collected from seven estuarine systems located along the Portuguese coast were analyzed for 7 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), 10 polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and 12 dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs). Total PCDD/F concentration ranged from 4.6 to 464 pg g−1 dry weight (dw), while that of dl-PCBs varied from 26.6 to 8,693 pg g−1 dw. In general, the highest PCDD/F and dl-PCB concentrations were associated with densely populated and industrially impacted areas. Additionally, PCDD/F revealed a predominance of octachlorodibenzodioxin (OCDD) to total PCDD/Fs, while PCB 118 was the major contributor to total dl-PCBs. This study provided a global perspective of the contamination status of Portuguese estuaries by dioxin-like compounds and allowed a comparison between the investigated systems and other systems worldwide. PCDD/F and dl-PCB levels found in the collected sediments were lower than those of highly impacted areas from different parts of the globe. Nevertheless, comparison with guidelines and quality standards from other countries indicated that some Portuguese estuarine areas with a high industrialization level present PCDD/F and dl-PCB concentrations in superficial sediment that may constitute a risk to aquatic organisms.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their gratitude to Sandra Beilvert, Séverine Bouchaud, Aline Brosseaud, Frédéric Larvor, Emilie Noël-Chéry, Vincent Vaccher, Cyrille Vallée, Solenn Vincent, and Zita Zendong for helping with the PCDD/F and PCB analyses. The manuscript was greatly improved by the comments of four anonymous reviewers and the handling editor. This study was supported by the FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia through a PhD grant attributed to MN Cardoso (SFRH/BD/46969/2008), co-funded by the POPH/FSE.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CFE–Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Apartado 3046, 3001-401, Coimbra, Portugal

    Margarida Nunes & Miguel A. Pardal

  2. CEF–Center for Pharmaceutical Studies, Health Sciences Campus, Bromatology Lab, Pharmacy Faculty, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548, Coimbra, Portugal

    Margarida Nunes & Fernando Ramos

  3. LUNAM Université, Oniris, Laboratoire d’Étude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments (LABERCA), F-44307, Nantes, France

    Anaïs Vernisseau, Philippe Marchand & Bruno Le Bizec

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  1. Margarida Nunes
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Correspondence to Margarida Nunes.

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Nunes, M., Vernisseau, A., Marchand, P. et al. Occurrence of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in superficial sediment of Portuguese estuaries. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 9396–9407 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2891-y

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