PARENT SESSION
SP7 - Environmental Forensics: PAHs
Chair: Boehm, Paul¹, ¹ 255 Bear Hill Road, Waltham, MA, USA
2:10 PM to 5:30 PM - Sunday, 17 November 2002
Room Ballroom A

(141) Sources of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Mussel Tissues from Coastal Waters.

Haddad, Robert^*,1, ¹ Applied Geochemical Strategies, Inc., Walnut Creek, CA, USA

ABSTRACT- In an attempt to identify and assess the potential source(s) of hydrocarbons in the near-shore coastal waters of Avila Bay, CA, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) body burdens were measured in resident and transplanted populations of mussels associated with the Avila Pier. The objectives of this work were two fold: (1) to evaluate if there was evidence of PAH bioaccumulation in mussels (mytilus edulis) from the Avila Pier and Avila Beach area (relative to mussel PAH body burdens associated with the regional background); and if so, (2) to assess the potential source(s) of these hydrocarbons. This work was undertaken in order to determine if a causal link could be established between the PAHs detected in resident and/or transplanted mussels and subsurface refined and unrefined petroleum contamination known to exist beneath part of the town and beach of Avila Beach. For this study resident and transplanted mussels were collected from 4 locations on Avila Pier. Regional background mussels were also collected from a nearby working pier within Avila Bay (Harford Pier), a nearby pier outside Avila Bay (Pismo Pier), and a pristine area previously used as a station for the State Mussel Watch program (Montano de Oro State Park). All samples were analyzed for lipid content and alkylated PAHs. The results of both the resident and transplanted mussel studies showed elevated PAH concentrations at the Avila and Harford Piers (relative to the results from the Pismo Pier and Monana de Oro). Further, the results suggest that mussel exposure to the source of the PAHs was most pronounced at the seaward edge of the pier. Finally, the forensic assessment of the source of the mussel tissue PAHs showed that while there were likely several sources, the most prominent of these was characterized as having a pyrogenic signature. Analysis of potential PAH sources, including creosote associated with the wooden pier pilings and the refined and unrefined petroleum associated with the subsurface contamination, supports the hypothesis that the creosote associated with the wooden pier pilings are a substantial source of PAHs in this near-shore coastal environment.

Key words: PAHs, mussel, forensic, aquatic