DISTRIBUTION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS) IN MARINE SHORE SEDIMENTS OF ALKABER ALJANUBY RIVER ESTUARY, BOUNDARY RIVER (SYRIA-LEBANON).

This paper deals with the determination of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment samples collected from nine sites of Alkaber Aljanuby river estuary as a boundary river (Syria-Lebanon) during the period July 2006 - June 2007. Samples were analyzed for PAH residues after Soxhlet extraction in order to determine the quality and quantity of their contents. Gasgromatography (GC) combined with Flame Ionization Detector (FID) techniques were used. The concentrations of (PAHs) ranged between ND and 1364.2 ng/g (dry wt.). Silt mixed with gray fractions of sediments with high contaminated samples 1364.2 ng/g (dry wt.) were observed in station L/S₉. The maximum con-centrations of PAHs were found at the stations L/S₆, L/S₇, L/S₈ and L/S₉. The concentrations in the two stations (L/S₈ and L/S₉) on the right side of the river estuary (Syrian part) were higher than those in the other two stations (L/S₆ and L/S₇) on the left side of the river estuary (Lebanon part). In general, the concentration of PAHs was similar to that found in other regions of the eastern Mediterranean shore. Ratios such as "Fluo./Pyr.", "Phenan./Anthr." and "Flt./Flt. + Pyr." were used to identify the potential sources of PAHs contamination in sediments of the area of investigation. The results show that they are of pyrolytic origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]