With God's help, the public defense of the Master's thesis of student Mohammed Iyad Kamel in the Department of Applied Marine Sciences, entitled "A Study of the Levels of Some Chlorinated Organic Compounds in the Sediments of Khor Al-Zubair," was held on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at 9:00 AM in the Conference and Graduate Studies Hall at the College of Marine Sciences. The thesis was supervised by Assistant Professor Dr. Alaa Adel Mazhar and Assistant Professor Dr. Yousef Shafi Jabr.

The examining committee consisted of the following esteemed professors:
1. Professor Dr. Hamed Taleb Al-Saad / Chairman

2. Assistant Professor Dr. Raja Hussein Fayyad / Member
3. Assistant Professor Dr. Salah Mahdi Saleh / Member

This study aimed to detect polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sedimentary rocks in the Khor Al-Zubair area using GC-MS technology. The study identified and detected 12 PCBs at varying concentrations and demonstrated the relationship between the concentrations of these hazardous compounds and several important environmental variables.

The results showed that certain types of PCBs (such as PCBs 18 and PCBs 44) were dominant in the sediment sample from the study area, increasing their environmental risk due to their ability to bioaccumulate and persist in the environment for extended periods.

This study contributes to filling the gap in information regarding pollution from this hazardous type of organic compound, as it is the first of its kind to detect PCBs in the Khor Al-Zubair area.