Abstract

The article presents and generalizes the results of monitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the surface water of the Dnipro River and establish trends in change of their concentrations for the period 2010-2021. It is shown that the levels of PAHs in the water of the Dnipro River increased significantly during the study period. The average total concentration of PAHs was 181.76 ± 111.42 ng/ dm³. The maximum concentration of PAHs was determined in 2020 and exceeded 300 ng/dm³. For the purpose of comparison, similar trends in change of PAH concentrations were established for other water systems of the World. In the natural waters of the rivers of Southern and Central Italy, the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Elbe River, the Ganga River, the Yangtze River, the Pearl River Delta the average total concentrations of PAHs for the indicated years were respectively, ng/dm³: 878.93 ± 275.76; 690.95 ± 415.78; 93.05 ± 22.98; 6911 ± 4068; 173.51 ± 145.85; 132.87 ± 74.69. The high relative standard deviation, that amounted 24.7-84.1 %, may be explained by the use of data obtained in different years and by different authors. For most water systems, there is a tendency to decrease of the total PAH concentration. From the analysis of the ratios between individual PAHs in natural waters, it follows that the emission of PAHs is mainly of anthropogenic origin and is related to the processes of combustion of organic substances. The main sources of pollution are vehicle emissions, coal burning, operation of coke ovens, leakage of petroleum products, etc.

Keywords: concentration, monitoring, organic ecotoxicants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Dnipro River

Article language: En