This chapter serves as an introduction to the book. It contains key points and
background information that will be followed up and expanded in the coming chapters.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a constituent of crude oil and PAHs from
petroleum are called petrogenic PAHs. This book focuses on petrogenic PAHs and
research results related to them, including sources of contamination in the aquatic
environment, analytical methods utilized in order to detect and quantify their presence
in various matrixes, biological effects of PAHs and their metabolites, and microbial
degradation with special focus on the situation in the Arctic. The tracking of sources of
petrogenic contamination is of significance and it is a focus of this book. Both current
knowledge and future challenges related to petrogenic PAHs are introduced and
discussed.
Keywords: Biological effects, Biota, Contamination, Crude oil, PAHs.
PETROGENIC PAHS
