Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution in native and caged mussels

During 1999, a biological monitoring study was conducted at four sites alon g the Ligurian coast (Cornigliano, Voltri, Vado Ligure and Sanremo). At eac h site the concentration and composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon s (PAH) were investigated in native and caged mussels. The mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), sampled in the Spring and the Autumn, showed different accumulation patterns according to the source of pollution they were expos ed to. The PAH concentrations were higher in the native than in the caged m ussels. The coastal sites were classified according to PAH concentrations f ound in mussel tissue samples: Native mussels: Vado Ligure < Voltri < Sanremo < = Cornigliano, Caged mussels: Vado Ligure = Voltri = Sanremo Cornigliano. The different classification is explained by the different location of the organisms: native mussels were located near the air-water interface, while caged mussels were situated at - 3 m from the water surface. The PAH concen trations in the native and caged mussels showed a similar seasonal variabil ity, and can provide the same information about the sources of PAHs. (C) 20 01 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.