Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in dungeness crabs (Cancer magister) near an aluminum smelter in Kitimat Arm, British Columbia, Canada.

An aluminum smelter situated at the head of Kitimat Arm (BC, Canada) has discharged polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the receiving waters since 1954. The purpose of the present study was to examine the distribution of PAHs contaminants in dungeness crabs (Cancer magister) collected in Kitimat Arm and Douglas Channel (BC, Canada) by determining the concentrations of PAHs in the hepatopancreas and muscle tissues of crabs by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Crabs were collected at specific sites down the Arm from the smelter on four separate occasions over a three-year period.