International Research Journal of Public and Environmental Health Vol.2 (9),pp. 122-126, September 2015 Available online at http://www.journalissues.org/IRJPEH http://dx.doi.org/10.15739/irjpeh.029 Copyright © 2015 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article ISSN 2360-8803 Original Research Article Galaxolide ® pollution of Gracilaria bursa-pastoris collected in Dardanelles: An ecotoxicological marker of Danube River water route to Aegean Sea Received 15 August, 2015 Revised 4 September, 2015 Accepted 7 September, 2015 Published 14 September, 2015 Kasim Cemal Guven 1* , Burak Coban 2 and Hüseyin Erdugan 3 1 Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), P.O. Box: 10, Beykoz, 81650, Istanbul, Turkey. 2 Bulent Ecevit University, Department of Chemistry, Zonguldak, 67100, Turkey. 3 18 Mart University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Çanakkale, Turkey. *Corresponding Author E-mail: kcguven@yahoo.com.tr In this work, Galaxolide ® pollution is reported in the alga Gracilaria bursa- pastoris (S. G. Gmelin) P. C. Silva collected from Sogandere, Dardanelles. The identification was made by GC/MS analysis. Galaxolide ® , widely used in perfumery was detected in water, river, marine organisms and algae. This pollutant was earlier detected in Danube River water, in the Bulgarian coast and in red alga Laurencia pyramidalis collected from the İğneada, western Black Sea coast of Turkey. These findings can generate a proof of Danube River water circulation to the Aegean Sea and the potential use of Galaxolide ® as a chemical tracer for the assessment of hydrological pollution sources in the region. Key words: Galaxolide ® , pollution, seaweed, Gracilaria bursa-pastoris. Tel.:+ 905053887955 INTRODUCTION The pollutant, Galaxolide ® (HHCB) 1,3,4,6,7,8-Hexahydro- 4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta (alpha)-2-benzopyran (Figure 1), is a synthetic musk with widespread use in perfumery. It has been reported as an emerging contaminant in waters and may produce harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems (Parolini et al., 2015) and human health (Kumar and Xagoraraki, 2010). It was identified in ground water (Stuart et al., 2012), drinking water (Kumar and Xagoraraki, 2010), wastewater (Gomez et al., 2011; Antoniou et al., 2009; Machado et al. 2011; Yu et al., 2012), sediment (Tian et al., 2011; Spozhnikova et al., 2010; Che et al. 2011), rivers (Sengi et al., 2008; Schwarzbauer and Ricking 2010; Sang et al., 2012), marine organisms (Bulk and Ford, 1999; Franke et al., 1999; Subedi et al., 2011; Ramirez et al., 2009) and in air (Ramirez et al., 2010; Kubwabo et al., 2012). Earlier ecotoxicological and pharmaceutical studies carried out on Gracilaria sp. include endogenic fatty acids and exogenic petroleum products, butylated hydroxytoluene, hexachloroethane from G. bursa-pastoris (Güven et al., 2014), lipase released by substances obtained from G. verrucosa (Aktin and Güven, 1969), β- phenylethylamine (Percot et al., 2009), sterol glycoside (Aydogmus et al., 2009), antiprotozoal and antimycobacterial (Selcuk et al., 2011). The Black Sea’ water circulation has two separate cycles; west and east. The west part of the circulation starts from the Ukrainian coasts down to Romania, Bulgaria and runs through the western part of Turkey’s coasts including the opening of the Bosphorus (Ovchinnikov, 1991). There are two flows in Bosphorus; the upper flow (Black Sea water) and under flow (Mediterranean Sea water) (Marsilii, 1681). The amounts of these waters were calculated by Merz (1918). Black Sea water circulation was determined in the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles (Vyazilov and Michailov, 1999). Danube River waters flows into the Black Sea containing many pollutants from 17 countries. In addition, an accident occurred in Feb 2002 at the gold mines of Baia, Romania, where approximately 83 million liters of cyanide ran off into the Tissa River