Details of Award
NERC Reference : NER/A/S/2003/00355
Identifying toxic 'Humps': profiling important persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic environmental hydrocarbons by comprehensive GC x GC-ToF-MS.
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor S Rowland, University of Plymouth, Sch of Earth Ocean and Environment
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor A Lewis, University of York, Chemistry
- Grant held at:
- University of Plymouth, Sch of Earth Ocean and Environment
- Science Area:
- Marine
- Overall Classification:
- Marine
- ENRIs:
- Pollution and Waste
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Science Topics:
- Water Quality
- Pollution
- Ecotoxicology
- Abstract:
- Present environmental legislation defines polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) as priority pollutants. Monitoring of these chemicals in many environments is required by law. PAH are defined as hydrocarbons with two or more fused aromatic rings and only about 16 chemicals are routinely studied by methods which are designed to ignore other aromatic hydrocarbons. Such compounds are often present in the environment at concentrations of parts per billion. Co-occurring with these PAH and often exceeding the concentrations of PAH by orders of magnitude, are extremely complex mixtures of aromatic compounds known as chromatogaphic 'HUMPs' because of the characteristic profile produced when they are examined by gas chromatography. These HUMPs are rarely measured yet we have shown that the chemicals in the mixtures are abundant, widespread, persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (e.g. to mussels). What is more, using the latest technology (there is only one such apparatus in UK) we have shown that the toxic HUMPS in part comprise chemicals which consist of two or more aromatic rings. In other words they can be considered as PAH. Why then is the toxicity and composition of these HUMPs not considered more widely? In the present proposal we aim to keep the UK at the forefront of research in this area by examining a variety of hydrocarbon HUMPs by the most detailed chemical analytical methods and by further testing the toxicity of the HUMPs.
- NERC Reference:
- NER/A/S/2003/00355
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Standard Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Standard Grant
This grant award has a total value of £171,187
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Staff | Total - T&S | Total - Other Costs | Total - Indirect Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| £99,260 | £6,579 | £3,128 | £62,219 |
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