Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Pollution in Native and Caged Mussels

During 1999, a biological monitoring study was conducted at four sites along the Ligurian coast (Cornigliano, Voltri, Vado Ligure and Sanremo). At each site the concentration and composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were investigated in native and caged mussels. The mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), sampled in the Spring and the Autumn, showed different accumulation patterns according to the source of pollution they were exposed to. The PAH concentrations were higher in the native than in the caged mussels. The coastal sites were classified according to PAH concentrations found in mussel tissue samples: Native mussels: Vado Ligure