Abstract
Problems in the determination of petroleum hydrocarbons in water, sediment, and biota are illustrated. By dyeing of the discharge water, from a land-based oil refinery and an offshore production platform the uneven distribution in the resipient has been demonstrated. Volatile benzenes and nonvolatile hydrocarbons, C12 +, as well as phenols, have been determined in the discharge water from the platform. The fate of the hydrocarbons in the resipient, particularly with respect to evaporation, was studied. Aromatic hydrocarbons, as pollution markers, were determined in the tissue of blue mussels from the jackets of the platforms on the field. The applicability of blue mussels in the monitoring of the pollution of the sea is discussed and compared with the use of cod and saithe for the same purpose.