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Concentrations of PAH Pollution in the Seawaters of Turkey

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The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry

Abstract

Turkey, surrounded by sea on three sides with soils in Europe and Asia, has geopolitical importance. Turkish Straits are of great importance for the international maritime industry, especially the trade covering the Straits, Black Sea, Azov Sea, Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea, and Mediterranean Sea. The interest in the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has risen markedly in Turkey as in the world during the last decades due to adverse public health effects with their potential toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic features. PAHs with their special chemical structures have such a characteristic that can be adsorbed in sediments and also accumulated in aquatic species. Pyrogenic and petrogenic origins are found to be the dominant PAH contamination sources in Turkish waters. MARPOL Convention recognized the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea as “special area” in 1983 for their importance as geopolitics and international maritime trade ways. Besides obeying to the international legislative, Turkey has also taken special legislative measures to prevent and/or mitigate the PAH pollution in waters. Some examples of these arrangements are given as follows: “Regulation on Waste Collection from Ships and Control of Wastes” (since 2004), “Marine Environment Pollution from Oil and Other Harmful Substances and Compensation for Losses in Emergency Response Situations” (since 2005), CleanSeaNet (since 2011), “Coastal facilities Contingency Plans” (since 2009), “Deep Sea Discharge Monitoring Circular” (since 2009), “Circular On The Preparation And Implementation Of Marine Litter Provincial Action Plans” (since 2019), and “Zero Waste Regulation” (2019).

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Abbreviations

ASB:

Annular sea bream

BSC:

Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution

dw:

Dry weight

EMSA:

The European Union Maritime Safety Agency

IMO:

International Maritime Organization

LDT:

Light Displacement Tonnage

MARPOL:

Convention for Prevention of Marine Pollution

PAHs:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

RM:

Red mullet

TSS:

Turkish Straits System

WHO:

World Health Organization

ww:

Wet weight

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maritime Faculty, Giresun University, Giresun, Turkey

    Yalçın Tepe

  2. Engineering Faculty, Giresun University, Giresun, Turkey

    Özlem Tunç Dede

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  1. Yalçın Tepe
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Tepe, Y., Tunç Dede, Ö. (2020). Concentrations of PAH Pollution in the Seawaters of Turkey. In: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2020_502

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2020_502

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