[Distribution of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in reservoir water of Estonia]. / Raspredelenie nekotorykh politsiklicheskikh aromaticheskikh uglevodorodov v vodnykh ob'ektakh Estonii.

The paper presents experimental data on different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in water, bottom sediments and algae as well as evidence available in literature on their content in exhausts of automobiles, oil shale industry and power station. Attempts are made to reveal differences in sources of the environment pollution with allowance for different PAH/benzo(a)pyrene percentage ratio, but as the PAH ratios are relatively similar in different pollution sources this attempt was a failure.

[Accumulation of polycyclic arenes in Baltic Sea algae]. / Nakoplenie politsiklicheskikh arenov v vodorosliakh Baltiiskogo moria.

The paper presents data on the level of benzo(a)pyrene (BP) and some other polycyclic arenes in alga and phanerogam specimens from different gulfs of the Baltic Sea. Algae were shown to absorb BP from sea water. The mean concentration of BP in sea water was under 0.004 microgram/1, while in algae it ranged 0.1-21.2 micrograms/kg dry weight. Algae accumulate BP to a higher degree than phanerogams. The highest concentrations of BP were found in algae Enteromorpha while the lowest ones in Furcellaria. In annual green algae, BP level was higher in autumn, i. e. at the end of vegetation period, than in spring. Brown algae Fucus vesiculosus is recommended for monitoring polycyclic arene pollution in the area from Vormsi Island to Käsmu and green algae Cladophora or Enteromorpha in the eastern part of the Finnish Gulf.

[Is benzo(a)pyrene an indicator of carcinogenic pollution?]. / Iavliaetsia li benz(a)piren indikatorom kantserogennogo zagriazneniia?

High-pressure liquid chromatography was used in the measurement of level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in 60 environmental specimens (water, bottom sediments and soil in fresh- and sea-water basins, solid wastes of fuel combustion). Concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene considered to be an indicator of carcinogenic PAH, varied significantly: 0.05-13.0% of the total hydrocarbon level and 0.8-100.0% of carcinogenic PAH in water; 2.7-8.1 and 4.0-36.8 in bottom sediments, and 0.4-6.0 and 9.9-45.1 in solid wastes of fuel combustion, respectively. Since PAH, other than benzo(a)pyrene, e. g. benzofluoranthenes and dibenzopyrenes, sometimes predominated, it is suggested that benzo(a)pyrene cannot be used as indicator of environmental pollution, unless a full-scale test for other PAH is completed. Benzo(a)pyrene level may be used for monitoring carcinogenic pollution after relevant hygienic and cancer control tests are carried out.

[Patterns of distribution of benzo(alpha)pyrene in fishes]. / Nekotorye zakonomernosti raspredeleniia benz(al'fa)pirena v tkaniakh ryb.

The paper presents comparative data on the levels of benzo(a)-pyrene (BP) in the muscular tissue of 326 specimens of various fishes: marine, brackishwater, migratory, semi-migratory and freshwater. The highest level of BP was found in migratory fish. It is probably due to the abundance of fat species among them. Although BP concentration in Estonian waters and in various fishes: is relatively low, there is evidence of fishcancer. Eight out of 60 fishes were found to have cancer. In six out of these eight cases it was microsarcoma of pike.

[Benz(a)pyrene accumulation, distribution and excretion in fish]. / Nakoplenie, raspredelenie i vydelenie benz(a)pirena u ryb.

The data are reported on the level of benz(a)pyrene /BP/ in muscular tissue and various organs of carp, drown trout, seatrout and rainbow-trout. It has been found that the average content of BP in fish was, as a rule, less than 1 mg/kg. The amount of BP in various organs was nearly the same as in the muscular tissue. The food of rainbow trout contained a large amount of BP and so did excrements of this fish. The results obtained allowed a conclusion to be made that some amount of BP does not metabolize in the organism of fish.