POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN OYSTERS (CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA) FROM GEORGIA COASTAL WATERS, ANALYZED BY HIGH-PRESSURE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

ABSTRACT A number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were detected in oysters from sites in coastal Georgia with analysis by reverse-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Compounds were identified by collection of peaks and comparison of excitation and emission fluorescence spectra with authentic standards. Major PAH in the oysters from the ports of Savannah and Brunswick included methylfluorene, anthracene, 2,3-benzofluorene, methylpyrene, 2,3-benzanthracene, benzo(b) fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene. Concentrations of most PAH were low in oysters from Skidaway River, which is part of the intracoastal waterway, and Kings Bay submarine base. The concentration of benzo(a)pyrene, a well known carcinogen, was 0.5 micrograms per kilogram in Brunswick and Savannah but was not detected (less than 0.01 micrograms per kilogram) in Skidaway River and Kings Bay.