THE USE OF A CLASSIC LIPID EXTRACTION METHOD FOR SIMULTANEOUS RECOVERY OF ORGANIC POLLUTANTS AND MICROBIAL LIPIDS FROM SEDIMENTS

An analytical protocol is described which allows for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and phospholipid fatty acid s on the same sample. This procedure allowed for the simultaneous eval uation of PAH concentration and its biological effects on the microbia l community. The total extract was separated into PAH, neutral lipid, glycolipid and phospholipid fractions on a silicic acid column by sequ ential elution using hexane, chloroform, acetone and methanol. This me thod was shown to be simple, effective and reproducible, and can be ap plied to very small samples (20-100 mg of sediment). PAH concentration was determined directly from the hexane fraction by GC/MS analysis wi thout further preparative steps. Microbial community structure was sim ultaneously determined using phospholipid ester-linked fatty acids (PL FA). This method was evaluated based on analysis of Standard Reference Material (NIST SRM 1941a), and applied to environmental samples from Eagle Harbor, Puget Sound, Washington.