Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and n-alkanes in sediments of the Upper Scheldt River Basin: contamination levels and source apportionment.

The Scheldt River system is located in northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands and includes a dense network of rivers, which contributed to the urban and industrial development in this area. Three sediment cores, collected in the Upper Scheldt River (Helkijn) and two of its tributaries (the Lys River at Wervik and the Espierre Canal), were analysed for n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Total n-alkane and PAH concentrations in all the sampled cores ranged from 2.

Organic contaminant loads into the Western Mediterranean Sea: estimate of Ebro River inputs.

Annual input estimates for several organic contaminants from the Ebro River into the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea were carried out on the basis of monthly sampling from November 2002 to October 2003. Some organochlorine compounds (DDT and its degradation products, DDD and DDE, PCBs (9 congeners), HCB and gamma-HCH) were selected due to their reported occurrence in the river. Furthermore, some polar pesticides used in the Ebro Delta were also determined (atrazine, simazine, diazinon, fenitrothion and molinate).