Skip to main content
Log in

Analysis of organic micropollutants in sediment samples of the Venice Lagoon, Italy

  • Sediment/Contaminant Interactions
  • Published:
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Surface sediment samples were collected at six locations of the Lagoon of Venice reflecting potential different contamination sources and representative of different hydrological situations. Analysis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), linear alkylbenzenes (LABS) and coprostanol have been carried out by gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) to assess the influence of various pollution sources: urban, industrial and combustion processes. PAHs, PCBs, coprostanol, and LABS showed the highest levels in the sample collected within the city of Venice (Canal Grande) indicating a very heavy contamination due to combustion sources and to the domestic waste waters directly entering the canals of the city. The highest levels of PCDD/PCDFs were found in samples collected near the industrial area of Porto Marghera. The investigation on the PCDD/PCDFs homologue profiles suggested the presence of two different sources for these pollutants, one due to combustion processes and another one due to the chemical processes of Porto Marghera.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Benfenati, E., Valzacchi, S., Mariani, G., Airoldi, L. and Fanelli, R.: 1992,Chemosphere 8, 1077–1083.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benfenati, E., Fattore, E., Mariani G., Cools, E. and Fanelli, R.: Mass spectrometric analysis of organic compounds in surface sediments from the Venice Lagoon. International Symposium Chromatography and Mass-Spectrometry in Environmental Analysis. S. Petersburg, Russia, October 3–7, 1994 a.

  • Benfenati, E., Cools, E., Fattore, E. and Fanelli, R.: 1994,Chemosphere 29, 1393–1405 b.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Benfenati, M., Di Domenico, A., Fanelli, R., Palma, S. and Zapponi, G.: 1989,Chemosphere 19, 501–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calvo, C., Donazzolo, R., Guidi, F. and Orio, A. A.: 1991,Wat. Res. 25, 1295–1302 a.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Calvo, C., Grasso, M. and Gardenghi, G.: 1991,Mar. Pollut. Bull. 22, 543–547 b.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Capodaglio, A., Novotny, V. and Zheng, S.: 1990,Ingegneria Ambientale 19, 563–573 a.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Capodaglio, A., Novotny, V. and Zheng, S.: 1990,Ingegneria Ambientale 19, 638–643 b.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Colombo, J. C., Pelletier, E., Brochu, C. and Khalil, M.: 1989,Environ. Sci. Technol.,23, 888–894.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Donazzolo, R., Menegazzo Vitturi, L., Orio, A. A. and Pavoni, B.: 1983,Environ. Technol. Lett. 4, 451–462.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eganhouse, R. P., Blumfield, D. L. and Kaplan, I. R.: 1983,Environ. Sci. Technol. 17, 523–530.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evers, E. H. G., Ree, K. C. M. and Olie, K.: 1988,Chemosphere 17, 2271–2288.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Galassi, S., Guzzella, L. and De Paolis, A.: 1993,Fresenius Envir. Bull. 2, 25–30.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gizzi, F., Reginato, R., Benfenati, E. and Fanelli, R.: 1982,Chemosphere 11, 577–583.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grimalt, J. O., Fernandez, P., Bayona, J. M. and Albaigés, J.: 1990,Environ. Sci. Technol. 24, 357–363.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Halsall, C., Burnett, V., Davis, B., Jones, P., Pettit, C. and Jones, K. C.: 1993,Chemosphere 26, 2185–2197.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ishiwatari, R., Takada, H., Yun, S-J. and Matsumoto, E.: 1983,Nature 301, 599–600.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kennicutt, M. C., Wade, T. L., Presley, B. J., Requejo, A. G., Brooks, J. M. and Denoux, G. J.: 1994,Environ. Sci. Technol. 28, 1–15.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Landstrom, G. and Rappe, C.: 1988,Chemosphere 17, 921–935.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pavoni, B., Sfriso, A. and Marcomini, A.: 1987,Mar. Chem. 21, 25–35.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pavoni, B., Calvo, C., Sfriso, A. and Orio, A. A.: 1990,Sci. Total Environ. 91, 13–21 a.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pavoni, B., Sfriso, A., Donazzolo, R. and Orio, A. A.: 1990,Sci. Total Environ. 96, 235–252 b.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pavoni, B., Marcomini, A., Sfriso, A., Donazzolo, R. and Orio, A. A.: 1992,The Science of global change, D. A. Dunnette, R. J. O'Brien (eds.), American Chemical Society, Washington, pp. 287–305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raccanelli, S., Pavoni, B., Marcomini A. and Orio A. A.: 1989,Sci. Total Environ. 79, 111–123.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sherwin, M. R., van Vleet, E. S., Fossato, V. U. and Dolci, F.: 1993,Mar. Pollut. Bull. 26, 501–507.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turrio Baldassarri, L., Di Domenico, A., Iacovella, N., La Rocca, C. and Rodriguez, F.: 1994,Organohalogen Compounds 20, 183–186.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Venkatesan, M. I. and Kaplan, I. R.: 1990.Environ. Sci. Technol. 24, 208–214.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wenning, R. J., Harris, M. A., Ungs, M. J., Paustenbach, D. J. and Bedbury, H.: 1992, Arch. Environ. Contain. Toxicol.22, 397–413.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fattore, E., Benfenati, E., Mariani, G. et al. Analysis of organic micropollutants in sediment samples of the Venice Lagoon, Italy. Water Air Soil Pollut 99, 237–244 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02406863

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02406863

Keywords

Navigation