Monitoring PAH contamination in the field (South west Iberian Peninsula): biomonitoring using fluorescence spectrophotometry and physiological assessments in the shore crab (L.) (Crustacea: Decapoda)

Awantha Dissanayake (1) , Shaw D. Bamber

1 Nagasaki University

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous pollutants of the marine environment, arising predominantly from petrochemical contamination and pyrogenic sources. A biomarker of PAH exposure was employed in a field study (South West, Spain) in both captured (indigenous) and deployed (caged) shore crabs () in the chronic PAH-exposed Bays of Algeciras and Gibraltar (from associated harbour and boating activity) compared to a relatively 'clean' site (Cadiz). Metabolite fluorescence was attributed to the following key priority PAH groups; naphthalenes (NAPs), pyrenes (PYRs) and benzo[a]pyrenes (BAPs). Temporal variability was assessed using deployed populations over an eight week period. Petrogenic and pyrogenic PAH contamination (as an indicator of the PAH type) was demonstrated using a ratio between FF / FF. Physiological assessments from deployed crabs demonstrated both physiological and cellular alterations as shown by reduced heart rates (at rest) and increased cellular stress in crabs from the PAH contaminated sites.

Mots clés: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH); Carcinus maenas; fluorescence spectrophotometry; Gibraltar

Awantha Dissanayake, Shaw D. Bamber. Monitoring PAH contamination in the field (South west Iberian Peninsula): biomonitoring using fluorescence spectrophotometry and physiological assessments in the shore crab (L.) (Crustacea: Decapoda). Marine Environmental Research, 2010, 70 (1), pp.65. ⟨10.1016/j.marenvres.2010.03.003⟩. ⟨hal-00598202⟩