Abstract
The residue levels of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were quantified and assessed in five seafood species from Al-Jubail, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia during spring 2017. Samples were subjected to extraction by ultrasonic and cleanup by column chromatography followed by separation and quantification by HPLC. For quality control of analytical results, the range of recovery of PAHs obtained from spiking was 62.54-108.91%, with exceptions in three PAHs. The two pelagic fish recorded the highest residue levels of ∑PAHs (541.31 and 545.52 ng/g), followed by bottom-dwelling fish (341.01 and 403.14 ng/g) and Crustaceans (312.10 ng/g). The samples recorded moderate contamination by ∑PAHs based on an international scale. The diagnostic ratios and principal component analysis identified the petrogenic (dominant) and pyrolytic sources of PAHs in samples, besides other unknown sources. The cluster analysis shows similar composition of PAHs in both examined bottom-dwelling fish species. The highest concentration of ∑PAH
CARC
was recorded in Scomberomorous commerson (0.051 ng/g) with the highest ∑PAH
CARC
% (10.87). This indicates a slight adverse effect of these species on human health. The human health risk assessment also revealed possible non-carcinogenic adverse effect in the long term of consumption.