However, the region has not yet received any serious scientific
investigation on its chemical contamination status. Therefore a
preliminary investigation on the level of selected metals and PCBs
in the coral reefs of Samui and Katen islands was attempted based
on bottom sediment samples taken during the training course as
they contain evidence of industrial intervention (e.g., He ´douin
et al., 2011; Jones, 2010) and potential accumulation in biota (e.g.,
WHO, 2001; Van den Berg et al., 2006; Choi et al., 2010). Water
borne plastic particles were also known to absorb PCBs from
surrounding seawater.