A new study, reporting data on the distribution of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs, nonylphenols and bisphenol A) in Arctic marine sediments (Kongsfjorden-KF, Svalbard Islands, Norway) and the risk assessment for benthic species related to their presence, has been published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
Results confirmed that long-range transport and melting of both marine and terrestrial glaciers (Bayelva River) play a key role in the input of persistent contaminants into the fjord. For the first time, the influence of the village and the port of Ny-Ålesund on the spatial trend of EDCs was shown. The ecological risk assessment based on the measured concentrations revealed a low risk for benthic organisms.
DOI:10.1002/etc.5334 (Francesca Spataro, Jasmin Rauseo CNR-ISP)
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