Source and Species-dependent Accumulation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Littoral Indicator Organisms From Norwegian Smelter-affected Marine Waters

摘要

The accumulation responses of littoral indicator organisms to different sources of combustion-derived PAHs have been analysed using principal component analysis (PCA). Further, biota profiles were compared with sediment profiles. The data consisted of a total of 272 samples of Mytilus edulis, Modiolus modiolus, Littorina littorea and Patella vulgata collected over a 20-year period from seven smelter- affected fjords. The results show that the indicator organisms reflect contaminant levels in the ambient environment and that their metabolic regulation was not strong enough to suppress source-specific signals from the smelter-generated PAHs.