PCB In Mussels Mytilus Californianus From The Northern Baja California Coast

Abstract

As part of a study monitoring marine pollution along the northern Baja California coast (from the U.S.-Mexican border south to Bahia de San Quintin , approximately 350 km), the authors sampled specimens of the California mussel Mytilus californianus . They measured the concentrations of PCB in the soft body tissue of M. californianus in transplanted and resident samples to determine differences in contamination levels along the north-south coastline and between offshore and intertidal locations. The results suggest that there is not much PCB contamination in this region. They found the highest values at the study sites closest to the dense population centers of the U.S.-Mexican border.