Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contaminants in Black-lip (Pearl) Oyster Pinctada margaritifera from Kish Island (Persian Gulf)

Twenty-four Black-lip Oysters (Pinctada margaritifera ) were collected in summer (July) 2004 from six coastal locations in Kish Island (Persian Gulf) and were analyzed at the analytical laboratory of Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor according to the chemical analysis procedures which has been accredited by the Canadian Association for Environmental Analysis Laboratories (CAEAL). In order to obtain information on bioavailability of sixteen EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), concentration of 2 to 6-ring PAHs was determined for all samples with application of a gas chromatograph with a mass selective detector. Oysters from Big Coral site exhibited a wide range of total PAH concentration (1.07 to 77.66 ng/g wet weight). The lowest value (oysters from Foreigner’s Pelage) and highest values were 0.7 and 36.33 ng/g wet weight respectively. Comparison of the PAH concentrations in oysters with sediments collected from the same locations showed that the overall bioaccumulation has been performed through the movement of water-soluble lower molecular weight (LMW) PAHs to the oysters in the studied area.