Concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and histological changes in Anomalocardia brasiliana and Crassostrea rhizophorae from Pernambuco, Brazil after the 2019 oil spill.

The present study aimed to analyze the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in populations of the shellfish Anomalocardia brasiliana and oysters Crassostrea rhizophorae three years after the 2019 oil spill, as well as evaluate histopathological changes on the gill tissues of the bivalves. Individuals of both species were sampled at points along the northern and southern coast of Pernambuco, Brazil. The permanence of oil residues was confirmed, evidenced by the total concentration of PAHs in the shellfish from the northern coast, which was roughly four times higher than the southern one.