Polynuclear aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons in mussels from the coastal zone of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Abstract

Mussels (Mytilus edulis chilensis) were collected from 12 coastal locations in Ushuaia Bay, Argentina, and the surrounding area in October 1999 and again in October 2003. Concentrations of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and selected chlorinated pesticides were determined to assess the impact of a fast-growing population in the area. Total PAH concentrations ranged from 2.24 to an extremely high concentration of 2,420 µg/g lipid measured in mussels collected near an oil jetty used to discharge to shore storage tanks. The composition of PAHs in these samples indicates that the source of these compounds inside Ushuaia Bay is predominantly petrogenic, with some pyrogenic background, whereas mostly pyrogenic-related PAHs were evident in areas outside the bay. Total concentrations of PCBs ranged between 12.8 and 8,210 ng/g lipid, with the highest concentration, detected inside Ushuaia harbor, representing a 10-fold increase when compared with historical data. Chlorinated pesticides were detected at comparatively lower concentrations, with 4-4'- 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene being the most common. The aggressive increase in population and related activities observed in the city of Ushuaia over the last two decades might have affected the environmental quality of the local bay. Moreover, the oceanographic and atmospheric conditions existing in Ushuaia Bay and surrounding areas may favor the accumulation and long-term presence of these organic pollutants in all compartments of this fragile environment.

Variations in serum concentrations of selected organochlorines among delivering women in Argentina. The EMASAR study

“…4 Environmental studies of air, sediments, soil, water, wildlife and biota have indeed regarded their occurrence there as a consequence of both global transport and past local uses. [5][6][7][8][9] DDT and HCHs have been used in agriculture, while PCBs have been linked to inputs from power plants, industrial activities, combustion and dumping. 5,6,9 Not surprisingly, these pollutants have entered the domestic food web.…”

Advanced PAH pollution monitoring by bivalves

“…In one of them, high contamination has been reported in Ushuaia coastal zone in Argentina when it reached in one sampling point the maximum concentration of RPAH at 2,420,000 ng/g lipid (Amin et al 2011). This was attributed to the nearby presence of an oil jetty used to discharge to shore storage tanks, indicating that proximity to oil sources can lead to increased concentration of PAH.…”

Source characterisation and mid-term spatial and temporal distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in molluscs along the Basque coast (northern Spain)

“…naphthalene), observed between 2005 and 2007, could indicate that molluscs were exposed to fresh petroleum hydrocarbons. [51] In relation to diagnostic ratios, they exhibit less variation and provide a more incisive tool to discriminate PAH sources, where only one or two sources dominate. [1] In that sense, ratios for the smaller parent PAH (e.g.…”