“Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the marine organisms from the Gulf of Naples, Tyrrhenian Sea”

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined by an HPLC method with fluorescencedetection in bivalves (Mitylus galloprovincialis), cephalopods (Todarodes sagittatus), crustaceans(Aristeus antennatus), and fish (Mullus surmeletus, Scomber scombrus, Micromesistius poutassou,and Merluccius merluccius) caught in the Gulf of Naples (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Anthracene,fluoranthene, pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, and benzo(k)fluoranthenewere detected, at different concentrations, in all of the examined marine organisms, whereas benzo-(a)pyrene, dibenz(a,h)anthracene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene, and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene were found onlyin Mediterranean mussels. Of mussels collected in winter 71.43% exceeded the maximum residuallevels (MRL) fixed for the benzo(a)pyrene in European Regulation 208/2005/EC, whereas all samplescollected in summer reported values lower than this limit. In comparison to the other marine organisms,the mussels showed the highest PAH concentrations (p < 0.01). Fish showed total PAH levels lowerthan those of cephalopods and, in particular, European hake showed the lowest values (6.06 ng/g offresh weight).[...]