Characterization of naturally-occurring and anthropogenic PAHs in urban sediments - Wycoff/Eagle Harbor Superfund Site

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are ubiquitous constituents in urban sedimentary environments. The accurate characterization of their source(s) in sediments influences decisions regarding the liability for clean-up and remedial options. In this study, an extensive PAH dataset that included 50 non-alkylated (parent) and alkylated PAH groups and isomers was acquired using a modified EPA Method 8270 for the study of 5 cm intervals from 10 sediment cores (2878 cm) obtained from the Eagle Harbor Superfund Site on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Conventional hydrocarbon "fingerprinting" and the PAH profiles in the Pb-210 age-dated cores revealed three primary PAH sources to the sediments over the past 220 years, namely (1) naturally occurring background; (2) urban runoff, and (3) creosote, the latter resulting from prior operations at the former Wyckoff wood-processing facility located on the Harbor. Naturally occurring background PAH in the pre-industrial (< 1900) sediments were dominated by perylene, 1,7-dimethylphenanthrene (derived from the oxidation of abietic acid resins), and pyrogenic PAH most likely derived from historic forest fires. The concentration of PAH(total) in these pre-industrial sediments was consistently less than 1 mg/kg (dry). Urban runoff in the post-industrial (> 1930) sediments was dominated by low but consistent concentrations (10-20 mg/kg dry) of pyrogenic PAH derived primarily from the combustion of fossil fuel(s). The creosote-impacted sediments in the post-industrialized sediments contained high concentrations (1000 140,000 mg/kg dry) of pyrogenic PAH associated with distilled, coal-derived liquids. (C) 2001 AEHS.