Hydrocarbon and sewage contamination near fringing reefs along the west coast of Havana, Cuba: A multiple sedimentary molecular marker approach

Abstract

Organic contamination is a major environmental concern in coastal regions, and it can be evaluated by the determination of aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), faecal sterols and linear alkylbenzenes (LABs). The concentrations of these organic markers were obtained from nine surface sediment samples to evaluate a possible contamination near a fringing reef on the west coast of Havana, Cuba. The AH levels ranged from 1.24 to 135.6 μg g^-1, the PAH levels were up to 2133 ng g^-1, the faecal sterol levels ranged from 0.03 to 1.54 μg g^-1, and the total LAB levels were up to 22.7 ng g^-1. The highest concentrations were obtained at sites close to Havana Bay and at the sources of untreated sewage input. A decreasing concentration gradient was observed from Havana Bay to the outer sites. Although only two sites presented high levels of contamination, untreated sewage discharged close to the fringing reef may affect its environment.

Keywords: Aliphatic hydrocarbons; Coral reefs; Linear alkylbenzenes; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Sterols.