THE USE OF THE MUSSEL WATCH AND MOLECULAR MARKER CONCEPTS IN STUDIES OF HYDROCARBONS IN A TROPICAL BAY (TODOS-OS-SANTOS, BAHIA, BRAZIL)

Data on aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in different species of edible bivalves collected in the Todos os Santos Bay (Bahia, Brazil) are reported for the first time along the South West Atlantic coast. The species and collection sites were selected for the identification of suitable regional sentinels and for the assessment of different coastal pollutant sources. To this end, the molecular marker concept was applied. A new series of biogenic C20, C25 and C30 highly branched isoprenoid alkenes were present in clean samples. Long-chain alkylbenzenes and specific distributions of isoprenoids, steranes and hopanes reflected local industrial activities. Petrogenic alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons, ranged respectively between 0.1-42 μg/g wet wt. and 0.1-9.1 μg eq. chrysene/g wet wt., the higher levels being found in the neighborhood of an oil refinery and a plant oil industry. Anomalocardia brasiliana, the dominant and most frequent bivalve of the Brazilian coast, can be an adequate bioindicator, because it accumulates organic pollutants with reasonable sensitivity. © 1990 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.