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Assessment of hydrocarbons concentration in marine fauna due to Tasman Spirit oil spill along the Clifton beach at Karachi coast

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Abstract

On 27 July 2003, Tasman Spirit spilled 31,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea at the Karachi coast. This disaster badly affected the marine life (Flora and Fauna.) Present research has been proposed to ascertain the level of Polycyclic Aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contamination in different fisheries including Fishes, Crustaceans; Crabs and Shrimps, Mollusks and Echinoderms along with passing time. Heavier components of crude oil such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) appear to cause most damages as these are relatively unreactive and persist in water. High concentrations of toxic PAHs were observed in all the fisheries and shellfishes caught form oil-impacted area. In this study fishes were found most contaminated than shellfishes i.e. ∑ 16 PAH = 1821.24 μg/g and ∑ 1164.34 μg/g, respectively. Naphthalene was found in the range of 0.042–602.23 μg/g. Acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene and anthracene were detected in the range 0.008–80.03 μg/g, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene and chrysene 0.0008–221.32 μg/g, benzo(b) fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene and benzo(a) pyrene 0.0005–7.71 μg/g, benzo(g,h,i)perylene and indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene 0.02–503.7 μg/g. Dibenzo(a,h)anthracenre was not detected in any specie.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Environmental Studies, PCSIR Laboratories Complex, Karachi, 75280, Pakistan

    Hina A. Siddiqi, Fayyaz A. Ansari & Alia B. Munshi

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  1. Hina A. Siddiqi
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  2. Fayyaz A. Ansari
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  3. Alia B. Munshi
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Correspondence to Hina A. Siddiqi.

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Siddiqi, H.A., Ansari, F.A. & Munshi, A.B. Assessment of hydrocarbons concentration in marine fauna due to Tasman Spirit oil spill along the Clifton beach at Karachi coast. Environ Monit Assess 148, 139–148 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-0145-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-0145-x

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