Iranian Journal of

Background and Objectives: alkylphenol poly ethoxylates (APnEOs) and their metabolites enter environment through discharging wastewater and are of particular concern due to their persistence, toxicity to aquatic organisms, and a potential endocrine disruptor. In this work, we focused on the determination of nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol polyethoxylate (NPnEOs) in sediment samples collected from Karun River, Khoozestan Plain, Iran. Materials and Methods: Sample collection of Karun River sediment was carried out on rainy and dry seasons from 10 hydrometric stations. The sediment samples were prepared and extracted using solid phase extraction procedure and were analyzed using HPLC-FLD. Results: We found that NP and NPnEOs concentrations in sediment samples of Karun River were 0.21-2.43 and 0.18-0.91 µg/g respectively. This study revealed that NP concentration in sediment samples of Karun River was higher than the other alkyphenolic metabolites. Conclusion: The results indicated accumulation of endocrine disrupting contaminants (EDCs) in the Karun river sediments. The results showed significant difference between mean concentrations of these compounds in the upstream and downstream stations of Ahwaz Megacity (p-value<0.05).