Steroid markers to assess sewage and other sources of organic contaminants in surface sediments of Cienfuegos Bay,Cuba |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Unidad de Química-Sisal, Facultad de Química, UNAM, Puerto de abrigo S/N, Sisal, Yucatán 97355, Mexico;2. CINVESTAV-IPN Mérida, Km 6 Antigua Carretera a Progreso, Mérida, Yucatán 97310, Mexico;1. Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, PR 81531-980, Brazil,;2. Department of Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, PR 81531-980, Brazil;3. Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo, Oceanographic Square, 191, São Paulo, SP 05508-120, Brazil |
| |
| Abstract: | Analyses of faecal steroids in coastal sediments from Cienfuegos Bay Cuba indicate chronic sewage contamination at the main outfalls from the city, where concentrations of coprostanol up to 5400 ng g?1 (dry wt) were measured. In contrast, steroid concentrations and compositions from sites from the south part of the Bay are characteristic of uncontaminated sewage environments. The levels of coprostanol in the Cienfuegos sediments compares to the lower to mid-range of concentrations reported for coastal sediments on a world-wide basis, with sedimentary levels markedly below those previously reported for heavily impacted sites. This study delivers baseline data for further investigation of the effectiveness of the proposed sewerage plan promoted by the GEF project in Cienfuegos. Investigations on the correlations between faecal steroids and other organic contaminants confirmed that the major source of petroleum hydrocarbons within the bay was associated with the sewage effluents from the Cienfuegos city. |
| |
| Keywords: | Faecal steroids Coprostanol Molecular markers Sediment Cienfuegos Cuba |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
