Mara Fisner, Satie Taniguchi, Alessandra P. Majer, Márcia C. Bícego, 
Alexander Turra, Concentration and composition of polycyclic aromatic 
hydrocarbons (PAHs) in plastic pellets: Implications for small-scale 
diagnostic and environmental monitoring, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 
Volume 76, Issues 1–2, 15 November 2013, Pages 349-354, ISSN 0025-326X, 
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.09.045.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X13005961)
Abstract: Plastic pellets may serve as a carrier of toxic contaminants, 
including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Considering that 
beach morphodynamics and pellet distribution varied along the shore, and 
that contaminant sources may vary on different scales, it is expected 
that this variability is reflected in the concentration and composition 
of contaminants. This hypothesis was tested through a sampling of 
plastic pellets at 30 sites along the shore in Santos Bay (Brazil). The 
total PAH concentrations and the priority PAHs showed high variability, 
with no clear pattern. Their composition differed among the sampling 
sites; some of the compounds represent a potential risk to organisms. 
The sources of contamination, as indicated by the isomer ratios, were 
also variable among sites. The high small-scale spatial variability 
found here has implications for estimating the plastic pellet 
contamination on beaches, since a sample from a single site is unlikely 
to be representative of an entire beach.