Bioaccumulation of UV filters in Mytilus galloprovincialis mussel

•The uptake of waterborne 4-MBC, BP-4 and OC was very rapid after only 24 h of exposure to 1 μ L−1.•Bioconcentration factor (BCF) was calculated for OC and BP-4.•BP-3 showed a low accumulation in marine mussels.•OD-PABA not tends to accumulate in biota due to their high capacity for elimination in mussels.

In this study the bioaccumulation kinetics of organic UV filters, such as 4-MBC, BP-3, BP-4, OC and OD-PABA in wild Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels was investigated. The uptake and accumulation of waterborne 4-MBC, BP-4 and OC was very rapid, and after only 24 h of exposure to 1 μg L−1, the tissular concentrations were 418, 263 and 327 μg kg−1d.w., respectively. The kinetics of bioaccumulation of BP-4 and OC significantly fitted to an asymptotic model with BCF values of 905 L kg−1 and 2210 L kg−1, respectively. Measured bioaccumulation of the hydrophilic chemical BP-4 was much higher than predicted by Kow-based bioconcentration models, which would lead to a marked underestimation of actual risk. On the other hand, the patterns of uptake found for BP-3 and OD-PABA suggest biotransformation ability of mussels for these two chemicals.