Investigating the chemical impact of human-related activities on the Red Sea marine environment utilizing High Resolution Mass Spectrometry

A baseline study was conducted in the Red Sea marine environment, where sediments were collected, aiming to investigate the long-term impact of anthropogenic activities, and provide useful insights to legislative parties in the framework of the Marine and Coastal Environment Protection Initiative (MCEP). Generic sample preparation protocols were implemented for the extraction of as many semi-polar to polar, LC-amenable emerging contaminants (ECs) and a hybrid trapped ion mobility tandem high-resolution mass spectrometric technique was utilized. Subsequently, wide-scope target and suspect screening of more than 3,100 ECs was conducted. A total of 51 ECs from 7 distinct chemical classes were determined. The highest chemical burden was determined in Jeddah Mena and Jeddah Lagoon regions, with cumulative concentrations of ECs reaching up to 2.24mg/kg d.w. and 5.80mg/kg d.w., respectively. Risk assessment showed that 8 compounds were at high environmental risk, highlighting the significance of their comprehensive monitoring. This study aims to set the baseline of chemical pollution in the study area and act as a reference for future research.