Bioaccumulation of persistent and emerging pollutants in wild sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

Marine pollution has been increasing as a consequence of anthropogenic activities. The preservation of marine ecosystems, as well as the safety of harvested seafood, are nowadays a global concern. Here, we report for the first time the contamination levels of a large set of 99 emerging and persistent organic contaminants (butyltins (BTs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides including pyrethroids, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PCPs) and flame retardants) in roe/gonads of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Sea urchins are a highly prized worldwide delicacy, and the harvesting of this seafood has increased over the last decades, particularly in South West Atlantic coast, where this organism is harvested mainly for exportation. Sampling was performed in three harvesting sites of the NW Portuguese coast subjected to distinct anthropogenic pressures: Carreço, Praia Norte and Vila Chã, with sea urchins being collected in the north and south areas of each site. Butyltins and pharmaceuticals were not found at measurable levels. Several PAHs, four pyrethroids insecticides, four PCPs and eleven flame retardants were found in roe/gonads of sea urchins, though in general at low levels. Differences among harvesting sites and between areas within each site were found, the lowest levels of contaminants being registered in Carreço. The accumulation of contaminants in sea urchins’ roe/gonads seemed to reflect the low anthropogenic pressure felt in the sampling sites. Nevertheless, taking into account the low accumulated levels of chemicals, results indicate that sea urchins collected in South West Atlantic coast are safe for human consumption. © 2017 Elsevier Inc.

Authors acknowledge INSEAFOOD colleagues that carried out sea urchin samplings. This work has been financially supported by the European project ‘Real time monitoring of SEA contaminants by an autonomous lab-on-a-chip biosensor ( SEA-on-a-CHIP ; No. 614168 ) and the research line INSEAFOOD within the Structured Program of R&D&I INNOVMAR – Innovation and Sustainability in the Management and Exploitation of Marine Resources (Reference NORTE-01–145-FEDER-000035 ) is funded by the Northern Regional Operational Programme ( NORTE2020 ) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). António Marques acknowledge FCT for the IF2014 contract. Carolina Camacho acknowledges MARINALGAE4aqua Project ( ERA-NETCOFASP/004/2015 ) for the research grant. Part of this work was conducted in the Unit of Environmental, Organic and Biochemical high resolution analysis-Orbitrap-LC-MS analysis of the University of Ioannina, Greece and the authors would like to thank the Unit for providing access to the facilities.