Pleasure boatyard soils are often highly contaminated

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Marine Pollution
• Ecotoxicology

Background:

• Pleasure boatyards are potential sources of significant environmental contamination.
• Various heavy metals, tributyltin (TBT), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are commonly used in boat maintenance.
• Understanding the extent of contamination is crucial for risk assessment and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compile and analyze contaminant concentrations in Swedish pleasure boatyards.
• To compare measured levels against established environmental quality guidelines.
• To assess the risks posed by these contaminants to the environment and human health.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of data from investigations at 34 boatyards along the Swedish coast.
• Measurement of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), TBT, ∑16 PAHs, and ∑7 PCBs.
• Comparison of maximum and median concentrations with Swedish environmental qualitative guidelines for sensitive and industrial land use.

Main Results:

• Maximum concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb, Hg, Cd, TBT, ∑16 PAHs, and ∑7 PCBs were found to be 10-2,000 times higher than Swedish guidelines.
• Median values exceeded lower guidance values for sensitive land use for ∑7 PCBs, PAHs, TBT, Pb, Hg, and Cu.
• Higher guidance values for industrial use were exceeded for ∑7 PCBs and TBT.

Conclusions:

• Contamination levels in pleasure boatyards pose significant risks to the environment and human health.
• TBT, PAHs, Pb, Cd, and Hg are priority substances requiring rapid phase-out under the European Water Framework Directive.
• There is an urgent need for pleasure boat maintenance guidelines to minimize soil and water contamination from these sites.