Residues of Aliphatic and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Some Fish Species of Lake Temsah, Ismailia, Egypt: An Analytical Search for Hydrocarbon Sources and Exposure Bioindicators

ABSTRACT

Residues of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were monitored in some fish species collected from Temsah Lake, near Ismailia, Egypt. Fish were selected to represent different feeding habits and ecological niches in the lake's ecosystem. Fish samples were extracted using organic solvents, and residues of aliphatic and PAHs were separated using column chromatography and detected using gas liquid chromatography. Fish species were Clupea sirm, Mugil sehli, Mugil capito, Morone labrax, and Sciasna sp. Clupea sirm, a surface feeder fish had the highest concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons, 320 ± 54 ng g⁻¹, while Morone labrax, a predatory fish that live in the water column, had the highest concentration of PAHs, 315.87 ± 46 ng g⁻¹. Even-number aliphatic hydrocarbons were more frequently detected in all fish species in comparison to odd-number aliphatic hydrocarbons, suggesting a petrogenic origin of these compounds. Meanwhile, the pattern of PAHs detected in the present study suggested that they originate from atmospheric deposition rather than land-based runoff. Morone labrax fish and Clupea sirm fish were the most suitable candidate bioindicators of exposure to aliphatic hydrocarbons and PAHs through fish consumption of the five fish species examined in this study.

Key Words:

• Temsah Lake
• Egypt
• residues
• aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• fish
• chromatography

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are grateful to Professor Ismail Abdelmoniem Issa, Suez Canal University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, for his help in interpreting some of the results. Thanks are also extended to the editors of HERA for their suggestions and advice.