Micro-organic pollutants and biological response of mussels in marinas and ship building/breaking yards in Turkey

Concentrations of PAHs, PCBs and OCPs in sediments and mussels (caged and/or native) were determined at 16 stations in six major sites of coastal Turkey. The biological effects of pollution were evaluated using sediment toxicity tests and enzyme activity assays. EROD, PROD, GST, AChE, CaE, and GR activities were evaluated using the digestive glands of mussels. The total PAH concentrations in the sediments varied between nd and 79,674 ng g− 1 dw, while the total OCP concentrations were in the range of nd to 53.7 ng g− 1 dw. The total PAH concentrations in mussels varied between 22.3 and 37.4 ng g− 1 ww. The average concentrations of total PCBs in mussels were 2795 pg g− 1 ww in the shipyard, 797 pg g− 1 ww in Marina 2 and 53 pg g− 1 ww in Marina 1 stations. The results of whole-sediment toxicity tests showed a strong correlation between toxicity test results and pollutant concentrations. Selected cytosolic enzyme activities in digestive glands differed significantly depending on localities. These differences in enzyme activities were mainly related to the different pollutant levels of the sampling sites. The micro-organic contaminant profile patterns, toxicity tests and biomarker studies showed that shipyards and shipbreaking yards are the major potential sources of organic pollution in coastal areas.