Effects of the coastal sediment elutriates containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on early reproductive outputs of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas

We previously found that embryonic development of the bivalve species was highly vulnerable to xenobiotic chemicals, damaging the coastal ecosystem integrity. To further assess their potential damage to ecosystem, the xenobiotic composition of the sediment elutriates from two representative industrialized Korean coasts, Pohang and Ulsan, were determined with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The presumed critical dilution of the elutriate was then exposed to early life stages of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas), embryonic development and metamorphic stage to first spat, at which they were believably more vulnerable by the chemical exposure. The early life damage by the xenobiotic exposure was apparently significant by the significant degree of pollution. Here, we indicated their potential damages to the Pacific oyster.