Abstract
The total polyaromatic hydrocarbons (TPAH) and the total polychlorinated biphenyls (TPCB) that originate from oil spills in sea and ocean waters are toxic to fish and their offspring. The authors compare the levels of organic contaminants (TPAH and TPCB) recovered from the bile versus the dorsal muscles of 120 individual Mugil spp. that were harvested from six sites in the eastern Mediterranean following a significant heavy oil spill. Results showed an insignificant difference between the mean of means of TPAH and TPCB (six means of individual Mugil spp. from six respective sites) in bile versus dorsal muscle. In addition, the correlation equation between the level of bile TPAH and the level of bile carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons (cPAH) was established. This data suggests the possibility of substituting the analysis of organic contaminants in muscles by using the liquid bile of Mugil spp., thus eliminating the time-consuming steps of lyophilisation and homogenisation of muscle. In addition, the bile cPAH could be predicted from the bile TPAH by a regression relationship.