Marine risk assessment: Linear alkylbenzenesulponates (LAS) in the North Sea
Temara, A.; Carr, G.; Webb, S.; Versteeg, D.; Feijtel, T. (2001). Marine risk assessment: Linear alkylbenzenesulponates (LAS) in the North Sea. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 42(8): 635-642. dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0025-326X(01)00061-3 In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. Macmillan: London. ISSN 0025-326X; e-ISSN 1879-3363, more |  |
| Authors | | Top | - Temara, A., more
- Carr, G.
- Webb, S.
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| Abstract | The fate of linear alkylbenzenesulponates (LAS) in estuaries and coastal areas of the North Sea has been characterized with simple environmental models. The predicted, concentration range in the estuaries around the North Sea, (0.9-9 pg LAS l-1) was validated by monitoring data (1-9 µg LAS l-1). In offshore sites of the North Sea, it is estimated - and experimentally verified for a few sites that the LAS concentration is below analytical detection limit (i.e., 0.5 µg LAS l-1). The effects of LAS on marine organisms have been reviewed. For short-term acute tests, there was no significant difference (p = 0.83) between the mean LC50 values of freshwater and marine organisms (mainly pelagic species tested, 4.1 and 4.3 mg LAS l-1, respectively). For longer-term chronic tests, it appeared that the sensitivity (mean no-observed effect concentration (NOEC value) of marine and freshwater organisms (0.3 and 2.3 mg LAS l-1, respectively) was significantly different (pt-test = 0.007). The predicted no-effect-concentrations (PNEC) were 360 and 31 µg LAS l-1, for freshwater and marine pelagic communities, respectively. Given that the maximum expected estuarine and marine concentrations are 3 to > 30 times lower than the PNEC, the risk of LAS to pelagic organisms in these environments is judged to be low. |
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