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Incorporation of Organic Contaminants in Geochemical Samples and an Assessment of Potential Sources Samples: Examples from Geoscience Australia's Marine Survey S282

Created 17/10/2025

Updated 17/10/2025

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Organic geochemists are increasingly involved in multi-disciplinary collaborative studies but not often in the initial sample collection phase, so understanding the origin and source of contaminants derived from sample handling and containers is of vital importance as standard laboratory blanks cannot assess this contamination. A variety of organic contaminants was detected in different sediments collected during Geoscience Australia marine survey S282. These include fatty acid amides, chemical antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoluene and octadecyl-3, 5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyhydrocinnamate (Irganox 1076), plus the UV absorbers octabenzone and octyl methoxycinnamate. These compounds were introduced during sampling on board the research vessel or during subsequent handling. Solvent extraction of potential contamination sources identified two brands of plastic sampling bags as the main source for the fatty acid amides, butylated hydroxytoluene and Irganox 1076. Direct contact of samples with hands covered with sunscreen appears to have caused contamination by octabenzone and octyl methoxycinnamate. As the primary aim of the survey was to detect evidence for hydrocarbon seepage in the Arafura Sea, care was also taken to identify potential sources of hydrocarbons that might have been introduced during sampling and storage. Detailed examination of solvent extracts from plastic bags revealed the occurrence of several homologous series of branched alkanes with quaternary carbon atoms (BAQCs), as well as distributions of alkyl cyclohexanes and alkyl cyclopentanes with strong even over odd carbon predominance. These compounds were also found in sediment samples collected during the survey. Other potential sources of contamination used on board the ship, such as PVC core liners and lubricants, yielded hydrocarbons that could easily be mistaken for evidence of naturally occurring petroleum if care is not taken during interpretation.

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Field Value
Title Incorporation of Organic Contaminants in Geochemical Samples and an Assessment of Potential Sources Samples: Examples from Geoscience Australia's Marine Survey S282
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/4967f8e2-0144-4d2c-96b3-e2a8550959f7
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 22/04/2018
Geospatial Coverage Australia
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "Incorporation of Organic Contaminants in Geochemical Samples and an Assessment of Potential Sources Samples: Examples from Geoscience Australia's Marine Survey S282". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/incorporation-of-organic-contaminants-in-geochemical-samples-and-an-assessment-of-potential-sou