Biomonitoring of PCBs contamination in the supralittoral environment using the sandhopper Talitrus saltator (Montagu)

We evaluated the use of Talitrus saltator as biomonitor of polychlorinated byphenyls (PCBs) contamination of the supralittoral zone of Mediterranean sandy shores, an area not yet investigated about the presence of these pollutants. Twenty of 22 PCB congeners analysed were detected and quantified in sand and sandhoppers’ samples collected in 6 different sites along the Tyrrhenian coast of Central Italy. Among the congeners analysed, PCB 153 and PCB 138 were the most abundant both in amphipods and sand samples and, regarding the congener pattern analysis, hexa-, hepta- and penta-PCBs were the most abundant congeners in sandhoppers. Though hydrophobic compounds, such as PCBs, bind strongly to sand and sediments, PCB concentrations were higher in T. saltator than in the sand revealing a good ability of this species to accumulate this class of contaminants. The concentration of each PCB congener recorded in tissues of sandhoppers showed significant differences among sampling sites revealing a good ability of these species to accumulate PCBs at different concentrations depending on the contamination levels of the sampling site. Therefore, our results suggest the possible utilisation of T. saltator as a biomonitor of PCB contamination of the supralittoral zone of Mediterranean sandy shores