Occurrence, Distribution, Sources And Bioaccumulation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) of Multi Environmental Media In Estuaries And Coast of The Beibu Gulf, China: A Health Risk Assessment Through Seafood Consumption

Abstract The coastal zone is the crucial transitional zone between the ocean and the land. Under the influence of global climate change and human activities, the coastal zone is suffering from huge environmental pressure. It is necessary to pay close attention to the pollution of PAHs to coastal ecological environment and the risk to human health. Taking the Beibu Gulf coastal zone as an example, we investigated the pollution status of PAHs in various environmental media. Results showed the total concentration of 16 PAHs (Σ16PAHs) in winter were significantly higher than that in summer. Compared with the coastal area, the pollution of PAHs in the estuarine area is more serious: the Σ16PAHs in estuarine waters (summer: 71.4 ± 9.58 ng/L; winter: 96.8 ± 24.7 ng/L) > coastal waters (summer: 50.4 ± 9.65 ng/L; winter: 91.7 ± 18.9 ng/L); estuarine sediment (146 ± 116 ng/g) > coastal zone (76.9 ± 108 ng/g). The source apportionment results indicated that spilled oil, biomass and coal burning were the main sources of PAHs in water, whereas the primary sources were spilled oil, fossil fuel burning and vehicle emissions in sedment. Shellfish showed the highest average PAHs concentration, followed by fish, shrimp, and crabs. The calculated bioaccumulation factor indicates that the seafood has a low bioaccumulation capacity for PAHs in the ambient environment. Human health risk assessment shows that accidental ingestion of PAHs through the consumption of seafood generally does not pose a health risk, but children should properly control the intake of shellfishes.