PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in surface sediments from Lake Victoria, East Africa
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Date
2013
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Science of the total environment
Abstract
Surface sediments (b60 cm) from the Napoleon Gulf and Thurston Bay on the northern shore of Lake Victoria
were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and
dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs). Fifteen PCDD/Fs and eleven dl-PCBs were found in 75.5%
of the samples. The maximum concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs were 44.1 and 136 pg g−1 dry weight
(dw), respectively. Octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin was the predominant PCDD/F congener at the Napoleon Gulf
and Thurston Bay area. Regarding the dl-PCBs, a variation in levels was observed between the mono-ortho
PCBs and non-ortho PCBs, with the former having higher levels than the latter. The PCDD/F and dl-PCB levels,
in the sediments of Napoleon Gulf, which is near urban centers and industrial areas were markedly higher
(α ≤ 0.05) than those from the Thurston Bay, which is offshore, suggesting that human activities could be
sources of the pollutants to the surrounding water resources. World Health Organization-toxic equivalency
quotients (WHO-TEQs) lay in the range of 0.07–5.53 pg g−1 dw for PCDD/Fs and 0.01–0.23 pg g−1 dw for
dl-PCBs. 23.1% of samples from the Napoleon Gulf had their results above the set WHOPCDD/Fs-TEQ value.
Description
Keywords
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, Polychlorinated dibenzofurans, Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, Sediments, Lake Victoria
Citation
Ssebugere, P., Kiremire, BT, Henkelmann, B., Bernhöft, S., Wasswa, J., Kasozi, GN, & Schramm, KW (2013). PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in surface sediments from Lake Victoria, East Africa. Science of the total environment , 454 , 528-533. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.03.046