PAHs contamination in edible gastropods from north Patagonian harbor areas

Highlights: • This is the first report of PAHs contamination in South American edible gastropods. • Gastropods from harbor present carcinogenic compounds in their tissues. • Levels of PAH4 in edible gastropod tissues exceeded criteria established worldwide. • Dibenzo[a,h]anthracene in harbor sediments exceeded the Canadian ISQG levels. - Abstract: PAHs are persistent pollutants released into the environment by fossil fuels burning and leak during petroleum operations. Associated with suspended particles upon entering marine ecosystem are accumulated by benthic fauna. Human exposure occurs mainly from ingestion such as gastropods consumption. The objective was to determine PAHs in sediments and in the marine gastropod Buccinanops globulosus in sites with different maritime and urban influences. In sampling sites located 20 km from the harbor, PAHs were non-detected; while in harbor gastropods, the level of PAH4 was exceeded according to international normative. Level of dibenzo[a,h]anthracene in sediments was between the ISQG and PEL. Since these are the first results of PAHs in edible gastropods in South America, we concluded that PAHs can be dangerous for consumers according to ingestion frequency. Integrative studies are necessary to evaluate the interaction among pollutants in maritime areas and the incidence in human health due to shellfish consumption.