Bioaccumulation of pollutants in the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis: Assessing pollution abatement in Victoria Harbour and its adjacent aquaculture area, Hong Kong, and the minimal human health risks from mussel consumption

Ryan Kar-Long Leung; Apple Pui Yi Chui; Xiaoshou Liu; Hang-Wai Lee; Matthew Ming-Lok Leung; Youji Wang; Menghong Hu; Kevin Wing Hin Kwok; Rudolf Shiu Sun Wu; Ling Jin; Hang-Kin Kong; James Kar-Hei Fang

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116086

Bioaccumulation of pollutants in the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis: Assessing pollution abatement in Victoria Harbour and its adjacent aquaculture area, Hong Kong, and the minimal human health risks from mussel consumption

Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Apr:201:116086. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116086. Epub 2024 Feb 22.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China.
² Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
³ College of Marine Life Sciences and Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
⁴ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China.
⁵ International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai 201306, China.
⁶ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Institute for Land and Space, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong SAR, China.
⁸ State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China.
⁹ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: hang-kin.kong@polyu.edu.hk.
¹⁰ State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Institute for Land and Space, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: james.fang@polyu.edu.hk.

PMID: 38387219
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116086

Abstract

The green-lipped mussel Perna viridis was utilised for pollution biomonitoring in Victoria Harbour and its adjacent aquaculture area in Hong Kong. P. viridis was collected from a reference site and redeployed at five study sites for five weeks during the dry and wet seasons of 2019. Our study found various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals in the mussel tissue, while polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were not detected. P. viridis at the reference site generally displayed lower levels of pollutants. Comparing with previous research in the 1980s and 2000s, we observed substantial reduction in the tissue levels of PAHs, PCBs, OCPs and heavy metals in P. viridis. The human health risks associated with consuming these mussels were determined to be insignificant. Our findings imply that the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme has been effective in improving the water quality in Victoria Harbour and its adjacent aquaculture area.

Keywords: Biomonitoring; Bivalves; Greater Bay Area; Transplantation; Water quality.

MeSH terms

Animals
Aquaculture
Bioaccumulation
Bivalvia*
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Pollutants* / analysis
Hong Kong
Humans
Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated* / analysis
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Perna*
Polychlorinated Biphenyls* / analysis
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons* / analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis
Water Quality

Substances

Environmental Pollutants
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Metals, Heavy