Bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to penguins on the coast of southeastern Brazil

Abstract Bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on Sao Paulo state coast (southeastern Brazil) was evaluated through the analysis of biliary metabolites in Spheniscus magellanicus (n = 79). The animals analyzed in present study were either found dead during beach monitoring procedures or died at rehabilitation centers. Analyses of naphthalene (NAP), phenanthrene (PHE) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) metabolites were performed using a high-performance liquid chromatograph equipped with fluorescence detectors. Total metabolite (TM) concentrations ranged from below the method quantification limit to 270 μg g−1 of bile. TM concentrations were mainly composed of NAP metabolites, followed by PHE metabolites. BaP metabolites were detected in only two samples. This is the first study using PAHs metabolites in S. magellanicus to assess the bioavailability of these compounds in coastal regions.