Sources and Biotoxicological Evaluation of PAHs in The Surface Sediments of Southwest Area, The East Lake, China

Surface sediments, obtained in southwest area of the East Lake, China, in May 2005, were analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph. Total PAHs concentrations of dry sediments ranged from 83.07 to 323.5 ng/g. The observed PAHs levels were low comparing with those in other lakes. According to low-rings/high-rings and phenanthrene/anthrancene ratio, PAHs originate mainly from the high-temperature pyrolytic processes, which related to sewage from catering trade by the side of the studied area. The PAHs levels of all sampling sites would not exert adverse biological effects in terms of sediment quality guidelines which reported by Long et al.