Occurrence of IRGAROL 1051 in coastal waters from Biscayne Bay, Florida, USA

Surface water samples from marinas, commercial ports and open bay areas collected from Biscayne Bay and the Miami River, Florida, USA, were analyzed for the occurrence of IRGAROL1051 by GC/MS. The anifouling boosting herbicide was found in 80% (46/57) of the samples collected between March 1999 and September 2000. Concentrations within the bay range between non-detected (<1 ppt) and 61 ppt (ng/L) and were generally low compared with levels reported in European or Japanese waters. Aside from the elevated concentrations observed along the Miami River South Fork (61 ppt), the highest concentrations observed in the bay corresponded to marinas with high density of pleasure craft and restricted water circulation. In contrast, occurrence of IRGAROL 1051 along the commercial port or the cruise line terminal was generally lower (<1–2.2 ppt). Concentrations around Coconut Grove Marina were consistently higher (5–12 ppt) than the rest of the bay waters during the whole period of time surveyed.