Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at the Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat, India: Occurrence, source apportionment, and toxicity of PAHs as an emerging issue.

The present study extrapolates the assessment and characterization of a barely studied region, the Gulf of Kutch, (near Jamnagar), Gujarat, India, in terms of PAH exposure, adverse effects caused by them, and various toxicological indices showing the catastrophic effects of their elevated concentrations. ΣPAH concentration in the site ranged from 118,280 to 1,099,410ngg-1 dw, with a predominance of 2-3-ring PAHs (79.09%) as compared to 4-5- and 6-ring PAHs (20.91%). The concentrations of carcinogenic PAHs were found to be between 8120 and 160,000ngg-1 dw, with a mean of 63,810ngg-1 dw, which is much higher than normal acceptable values. The toxic equivalent quotient for 6CPAHs ranged from 150.47 to 26,330ngg-1 BaPeq, encompassing 50.63% of ΣPAH toxicity. This toxicological profile of the present study site would be of paramount importance as it offers fresh information regarding the load of legacy pollutants such as PAHs and the inputs and methods to cope with their extremely high concentrations in less explored marine habitats.