Distribution and Sources of PCBs in Fishes from Marine Iraqi Coast North West Arabian Gulf | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries | ||
| Article 165, Volume 29, Issue 4, July and August 2025, Pages 5007-5017 PDF (380.18 K) | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejabf.2025.446884 | ||
| Author | ||
| AL-Kayoon et al. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| This study quantifies concentrations of 13 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in 10 fish species—Nematalosa nasus, Cynoglossus arel, Johnieops sina, Liza subviridis, Synaptura orientalis, Otolithes ruber, Acanthopagrus latus, Tenualosa ilisha, Epinephelus coioides, and Saurida tumbil—collected from Iraqi waters in the Northwestern Arabian Gulf. Total PCB levels ranged from 1.86μg/ g in Otolithes ruber to 19.39μg/ g in Saurida tumbil, with dominant congeners being PCB-194, PCB-138, and PCB-141. Congener patterns suggest historical industrial sources and atmospheric deposition. Weak waste management, particularly the open burning of electronic waste, releases PCBs into the air and soil, while petrochemical plants and oil spills from oil industry operations introduce petrogenic PCBs such as PCB-18. Riverine inputs also carry PCBs from agricultural and industrial areas into the Gulf, and low-energy coastal zones facilitate sediment trapping, further concentrating PCBs in the environment. Comparisons with global datasets reveal that PCB levels in Iraqi fish are markedly elevated, and regulatory measures are therefore recommended to mitigate ecological and human health risks. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| PCBs; Fishes; Northwest Arabian Gulf; Iraqi coast | ||
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