​Continued Monitoring of PAH in Loch Leven

Summary

Fisheries Research Services
McIntosh, A ; Russell, M; Webster, L; Packer, G

During the period April 1999 to August 2001, the Fisheries Research Services Marine Laboratory (FRS ML), on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (Scotland) (FSA(S)), carried out investigations into the concentration and composition of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in farmed blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) from the Kinlochleven shellfish farm in Loch Leven and from a reference shellfish farm in Loch Etive. Further investigations have been carried out over the winter months, November to March, in 2001/2002, 2002/2003 and 2003/2004. The concentration and composition of the PAH in mussels from the Kinlochleven shellfish farm in Loch Leven and from Loch Etive has been determined during the period November 2004 to March 2005.

A maximum total measured PAH concentration in Kinlochleven mussels (187.8 ng g-1 wet weight PAH) was observed in December 2004 and from Loch Etive mussels (53.8 ng g-1 wet weight PAH) in November 2004. The PAH concentrations were consistently higher in mussels from the Kinlochleven mussel farm over the winter monitoring period.

Project Code: S02021