Temporal trend of polychlorinated biphenyls contamination in the northwestern Arabian Gulf - Evidence from sediment records.

This study provides an insight into the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) inventories in the sediments of the northwestern Arabian/Persian Gulf. PCBs can be used as chemical markers that correlate with historical events in the region, to estimate the sedimentation rates in the northern Gulf, and to determine the sources of pollutants in the study area. The concentrations of PCBs were generally patchy in sediments.

Baseline concentrations of pharmaceuticals in Kuwait's coastal marine environment.

This study was carried out to provide baseline information on the concentrations of pharmaceuticals in Kuwait's coastal waters. Samples were collected over four sampling campaigns from various outfalls that occasionally discharged water into the marine environment and analyzed for a range of pharmaceuticals including analgesic/anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, anticoagulant, antidiabetic, antihelmintics, antihypertensives, antiplatelet agent, asthma medication, β-blocking agent, calcium channel blocker, diuretic, histamine H1 and H2 receptor antagonist, lipid regulators/cholesterol-lowering, prostatic hyperplasia, psychiatric drug, sedation and muscle relaxant, synthetic glucocorticoid, tranquilizer and x-ray contrast media. The levels varied between the detection limits of the method and a maximum of 28,183 ng/L for analgesics/anti-inflammatories.

Depositional time trends of phosphorous accumulation in a dated sediment core from the northwestern Arabian Gulf: Can phosphorous be used to support Pb chronologies in coastal aquatic sediments?

The use of Pb dating for the reconstruction of contaminant profiles in undisturbed sediments is the most widely acceptable technique historically. Due to the uncertainties associated with the technique, dating of sediments have often been supported by ancillary evidence such as an alternative historical marker in the catchment that is preserved in the sedimentary records. The most widely used verification marker is Cs, which is attributed to global fallout from past nuclear weapons testing, and the Chernobyl accident.

Organophosphate esters in indoor dust from 12 countries: Concentrations, composition profiles, and human exposure.

A total of 20 organophosphate triesters (OPEs), including seven alkyl-OPEs, three chlorinated (Cl)-OPEs, seven aryl-OPEs, and three oligomeric-OPEs were measured in 341 house dust samples collected from 12 countries during the period 2010-2014. OPEs were ubiquitous in indoor dust, and the total concentrations of OPEs (∑OPEs; sum of 20 OPEs) ranged from 49.4 to 249,000 ng/g dry weight (dw).