Abstract
Two surveys of petroleum hydrocarbon levels in mussels around the Cape Peninsula have revealed that harbours are the major source of petroleum hydrocarbons. Other significant sources are industrial effluents and sewage. Levels in mussel tissue, as determined by fluorescence spectroscopy, ranged from 10–100 μg·g−1 dry weight at the relatively unpolluted sites to 5 000 μg·g−1 at sites inside Cape Town Harbour. Gas chromatographic analysis of some of the samples revealed a similar trend and concentration range and provided qualitative information on the type of petroleum hydrocarbons present. Based on the results of these surveys and previous work, it is possible to determine an acceptable concentration in mussel tissue which reflects a corresponding acceptable water concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons.
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