Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in shellfish affected by the Sea Empress oil spill in Wales in 1996

The grounding of the tanker Sea Empress at the entrance to Milford Haven, s outh-west Wales, in 1996 resulted in the loss of over 70,000 tonnes of crud e oil. This resulted in the contamination of over 200 km of coastline, and of fish and shellfish in the vicinity. In order to protect consumers a fish ery closure order was instituted under the Food and Environment Protection Act, and a monitoring programme was initiated in order to assess the degree of contamination of local stocks. In this paper we present information on the level and distribution of PAH contaminants in molluscan species (cockle s, mussels and oysters) derived from this information on the profiles of PA H uptake following an acute spillage of oil, and chronically from diffuse u rban and industrial sources from background samples collected beyond the bo undaries of the affected area.