Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Bizerte Lagoon Ecosystem: Occurrence, Distribution, and Ecotoxicological Assessment Using Marine Organism

Abstract

Marine ecosystem represents an ecologically and economically important water bodies for human and animal living. Their increasing pollution by persistent organic pollutants has represented a major environmental alarm during the last years. In the current study, we examined the occurrence, local distribution and ecotoxicological menace of organic pollutants, comprising brominated flame retardants (BFR), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in different matrices from the Northern Tunisian Coastal Ecosystem (Bizerte lagoon). The pollutant existence in this biome is related with a negative impact on the biocenosis health. Many approach including (i) chemical analyses; (ii) taxonomic structure and ecological indices analyses; (iii) and biochemical experimental studies, were investigated to determine the ecosystem quality and the contaminant effects. Our chapter introduces the baseline information on the organic contaminations extent and toxicological impact, as well as, it contribute to evaluate the ecological quality of this marine coastal ecosystem.