Release and retention of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and their methylated derivatives by the common mussel ( ) in the brackish water of the Baltic Sea

Release and retention of a series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and their methylated derivatives by in the Baltic Sea were investigated. Naphthalene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, methylnaphthalene, dimethylnaphthalene and methylphenanthrene were used in the study. Exposure was conducted in the laboratory and mussels were taken into the sea for the release of hydrocarbons. The experiments were performed during both the summer and the late autumn to observe the differences caused by the water temperature and physiological state of animals. The PAH were initially released rapidly from the mussels, then slower phase followed. The season had no remarkable effect on the elimination rate