Anthropogenic waste indicators (AWIs), particularly PAHs and LABs, in Malaysian sediments: Application of aquatic environment for identifying anthropogenic pollution.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) were used as anthropogenicmarkers of organic chemical pollution of sediments in the Selangor River, Peninsular Malaysia. This study was conducted on sediment samples from the beginning of the estuary to the upstream river during dry and rainy seasons. The concentrations of .PAHs and .LABs ranged from203 to 964 and from23 to 113 ng g^-1 dry weight (dw), respectively. In particular, the Selangor River was found to have higher sedimentary levels of PAHs and LABs during the wet season than in the dry season,whichwas primarily associatedwith the intensity of domesticwastewater discharge and high amounts of urban runoffwashing the pollutants from the surrounding area. The concentrations of the toxic contaminantswere determined according to the Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs). The PAH levels in the Selangor River did not exceed the SQGs, for example, the effects range low(ERL) value, indicating that they cannot exert adverse biological effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]