Evaluation of Po River delto environmental quality: assessment of contamination of sediments and biota

In order to assess the possible contamination of transitional environments, in this work three-year data were collected for different classes of contaminants, evaluating the contamination due to the presence of pollutants areas near the Po Delta. The monitored classes of contaminants include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), organochlorinated pesticides and verified the possible presence of metals (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ba, Pb, Hg, Cd and As). The matrices considered to verify the contamination of this area were sediments and biota, which were sampled in offshore and coastal zones in the Northern Adriatic Sea near the Po Delta. In each site, samples of sediments were collected at depths between 0 and 2 cm. In the coastal zones, samples of bivalve species (Chamelea gallina and Ruditapes philippinarum) were collected, while in the offshore area, two different families of biota were selected: Mytilus galloprovincialis and Squalus acanthias.