Assessment of toxic normal saturated hydrocarbons in the Arabian seawater and Omani freshwater samples using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

Abstract

AbstractThe NHs contaminated water samples can cause several health problems such as skin irritation, acne, irregular breathing, lung irritation, cardiac arrest, itching, central nervous system (CNS), and cancer. Therefore, this current study aims to develop extraction and detection methods for normal hydrocarbons (NHs) in water samples with dichloromethane (DCM) and to detect and quantify the level of NHs in the seawater and freshwater samples by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Sixty-four water samples were collected from five different ports of Oman, including, Matrah, Al Mouj Marina, Salalah, Duqm, and Sohar ports, and one fresh water from Falaj Daris. The solvent–solvent extraction method was used to extract the NHs of seawater and freshwater sample with DCM. The DCM layer was passed through the silica gel column and evaporated DCM by using a rotary evaporator at low temperature and pressure. The samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The results showed that all collected seawater and freshwater samples contain NHs, but the concentration is below the detection limit. The water samples of those selected areas were not polluted by NHs toxicants. In conclusion, the low concentration of NHs could be due to the effective treatment of effluents discharged by industries, refineries, ships, and other marine vehicles. So far, it is the first report on extracting and detecting NHs in seawater and freshwater samples using LC/MS.