Toshiaki NOMURA

Investigation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Pollution History by Sediment Core from Shinano River

Shoichi FUJITA , Toshiya KOMATSU , Shuji HIMENO

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have no environmental standards and are uncontrolled in Japan. However, PAHs are suspected carcinogenicity and have mutagenicity. There are few researches for investigations of PAHs pollution about multimedia. Sediments are pollution index unaffected temporal-spatial fluctuation, final accumulation phase of pollution and profiles of sediments have information on PAHs source.
In this study, sediment core samples were collected on lower course of Shinano River and these samples were analyzed 38 PAHs. PAHs levels of sediments samples were higher than Tokyo Bay report of the previous study. PAHs profiles did not changed with depth of sediment core, it indicated that PAHs degradation speeds of sediments were low. In addition, suspended solids in river water, road dusts and atmospheric air resembled surface sediment in PAHs profiles, these media had a considerable impact on PAHs pollution.