Distribution and human health risk assessment of PAHs in four fish species from a SW Atlantic estuary

OLIVA, A.L; LA COLLA, N.S.; ARIAS, AH; BLASINA, GE; LOPEZ CAZORLA, A; MARCOVECCHIO, JE

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG

Lugar: HEIDELBERG; Año: 2017 vol. 24 p. 18979 - 18990

0944-1344

The aim of this study is to assess -for the first time- the concentration of the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the muscle tissues of four fish species (Micropogonias furnieri, Cynoscion guatucupa, Ramnogaster arcuata and Mustelus schmitti) from Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina and to evaluate their sources, distribution and the human health risks implicated. Considering the four species under study, mean total PAHs concentrations showed the following decreasing accumulation trend: M. schmitti, R. arcuata, C. guatucupa and M. furnieri. Low molecular weight PAHs, such as Naphthalene and Phenanthrene, were generally predominant, displaying properties of PAHs mixtures generated from petrogenic pollution. Of the four fish species analyzed, M. furnieri was the only one that did not raise any human consumption warning. In the case of the other species, exceeding values were found above the safety human consumption guidelines. Nevertheless, the screening criteria for carcinogenic PAHs proposed by the US-EPA indicated a good quality status for these fish species.