ATR-FTIR spectroscopy reveals polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination despite relatively pristine site characteristics:results of a field study in the Niger Delta

Abstract

Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is an emerging technique to detect biochemical alterations in biological tissues, particularly changes due to sub-lethal exposures to environmental contaminants. We have previously shown the potential of attenuated total reflection FTIR (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy to detect real-time exposure to contaminants in sentinel organisms as well as the potential to relate spectral alterations to the presence of specific environmental agents. In this study based in the Niger Delta (Nigeria), changes occurring in fish tissues as a result of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure at contaminated sites are compared to the infrared (IR) spectra of the tissues obtained from a relatively pristine site. Multivariate analysis revealed that PAH contamination could be occurring at the pristine site, based on the IR spectra and significant (P < 0.0001) differences between sites. The study provides evidence of the IR spectroscopy techniques' sensitivity and supports their potential application in environmental biomonitoring.