Application of the high-resolution low temperature spectrofluorometry to analysis of PAHs in lake sediments, marine intertidal sediments and organisms

Summary This study presents an application of high-resolution low temperature spectrofluorometry (Shpol'skii effect) to quantitative analysis of PAHs in lake sediments, marine intertidal sediments and marine organisms. The main characteristics of the analytical computerized set-up are developed and show the selectivity, the sensitivity and the high speed of the experimental procedure, necessary for routine analysis of hydrocarbon traces. A correlation assay between PAHs distribution in sediments of an Alpine lake and that determined in vehicle exhaust emissions weighted from the accurate representation of the total number of passenger cars in France has been studied. We also present an investigation of concentration profiles and PAHs distributions in intertidal sediments and biota bivalves in the Gulf of Kuwait.