Methodology for the determination of priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments

The development and application of a simple method for the isomer specific determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine sediments is described. The method involves Soxhlet extraction of the sample with methylene chloride, a one-step cleanup on a Florisil column, and analysis by using capilliary gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID). Using this method, quantitative recoveries from spiked sediment samples were obtained for all of the 16 USEPA priority pollutant PAHs, with the exception of naphthalene. This method allows for substantial time and cost savings when compared to current isomer specific analytical methodologies, and will find application where availability of resources and instrumentation is limited.