Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in commercial clams: Implications for environmental and human health

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent and potentially carcinogenic contaminants that accumulate in marine bivalves, raising concerns for ecosystem integrity and seafood safety. However, integrated assessments simultaneously addressing contamination levels, source apportionment, ecological risk and human health implications in commercially traded clams remain scarce. This study quantified 16 priority PAHs in edible clams marketed in Portugal and originating from the North Atlantic coast, the North Sea, and the Mekong Delta (Vietnam), with the aim of characterising contamination patterns and evaluating associated risks. PAHs were extracted using the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method and analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Source identification was supported by diagnostic ratios, principal component analysis, and linear discriminant analysis. Ecological risk was estimated through toxicity equivalents and risk quotients, while human exposure was assessed via average daily intake, hazard index, and lifetime carcinogenic risk. Total PAH concentrations ranged from 114.20 to 265.77 μg kg −1 wet weight, with high-molecular-weight PAHs accounting for ≈ 96% of the total burden, indicating dominant combustion-derived inputs. Elevated toxicity equivalents and cumulative risk quotients revealed chronic ecological risk at all sites, particularly in North Sea samples. In contrast, estimated dietary exposure remained below established safety thresholds, and carcinogenic risk values fell within the accepted tolerable range. These findings highlight a contrast between ecological risk and comparatively low human health risk, reinforcing the role of edible bivalves as early-warning bioindicators of coastal PAH contamination and supporting their use in integrated environmental monitoring programmes. • Edible clams marketed in Portugal showed spatial variation in PAH contamination. • High-molecular-weight PAHs dominated the toxic burden across all clam origins. • Ecological risk assessment revealed elevated chronic risk, mainly in North Sea clams. • Dietary exposure to PAHs from widely available clams posed low health risks to humans. • Edible clams are early-warning and discriminative indicators of coastal PAH pollution.