Monitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Lake Baikal basin in the areas of intensive anthropogenic impact

Presented are the results of studying the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and benz(a)pyrene in the lake water, in sewage waters of the enterprise, and in the upper 2-cm layer of bottom sediments in the area of the sewage discharge of Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM), in bottom sediments in the north of Lake Baikal in the area of the Baikal-Amur Railroad, and in the channel and delta front of the Selenga River. The results were obtained at Hydrochemical Institute in 1981?C1989. The different content of benz[a]pyrene was determined for the first time in bottom sediments (sands and silts) for the bottom area of polygons in the mentioned regions. An intensive pollution exceeding significantly the normalized parameters for the benz[a]pyrene in bottom sediments is registered in the BPPM area only and its content in other areas does not exceed the background values on the whole.