RT Journal Article
T1 Screening of organic pollutants in mollusc and fish samples from the Portuguese coast by combining liquid and gas chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry
A1 Méndez, Sandra
A1 Montes Goyanes, Rosa
A1 Raimundo, Joana
A1 López Castillo, Daylin
A1 López Vázquez, Javier
A1 Caetano, Miguel
A1 Lopes, Clara
A1 Figueiredo, Cátia
A1 Pinheiro, Marlene
A1 Alves, Nélson
A1 Capela, Ricardo
A1 Barros, Susana
A1 Morais, Hugo
A1 Neuparth, Teresa
A1 Santos, Miguel M.
A1 Quintana Álvarez, José Benito
A1 Rodil Rodríguez, María del Rosario
K1 Matrix solid-phase dispersion
K1 Biota
K1 Contaminants of emerging concern
K1 Food contamination
K1 Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
AB In recent years, the presence of organic pollutants (OPs) in biota samples, especially in species which are intended for human consumption, has generated major concern. Thus, legislation on presence and levels has been created and/or updated in order to achieve safe food products for consumers. During the years 2020 and 2022 in the frame of the project “Contaminant levels in species of commercial interest captured in the Portuguese Maritime Area - CEIC”, different species of fish and molluscs were collected in 4 main areas of the Portuguese coast. Samples were processed by matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) and injected into gas and liquid chromatographic systems coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry analysers. A total of 82 OPs were identified using liquid chromatography (LC), most being pharmaceuticals, 56 OPs were identified by gas chromatography (GC) using a high-resolution mass spectra library. In addition, 38 chlorine/bromine-containing compounds were tentatively identified using the low resolution NIST 2017 database, most of which are used as industrial chemicals. Cluster analysis of samples revealed grouping according to the type of analysed tissue, sampling area and campaign. For the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) detected, a quantitative methodology was applied to evaluate concentration levels. Several fish muscle and bivalve mollusc samples exhibited PFAS concentrations that exceeded the permitted levels established by current regulations, with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) showing particularly elevated levels in the analysed samples. In conclusion, the study highlights the widespread occurrence of organic pollutants, particularly PFAS, in commercial marine species along the Portuguese coast, underscoring the urgent need for continued monitoring.
PB Elsevier
YR 2025
FD 2025-08-27
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42731
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42731
LA eng
NO S. Méndez et al. Screening of organic pollutants in mollusc and fish samples from the Portuguese coast by combining liquid and gas chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry. Marine Pollution Bulleting 222 (2026) 118598.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118598
NO Xunta de Galicia (ED431C 2025/21)
NO Agencia Estatal de Investigación MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (ref. PID2020-117686RB-C32)
NO Program MAR2020 IPMA (project CEIC, “Contaminants in commercial species from the Portuguese coast”, MAR-01.04.02-FEAMP-0012)
DS Minerva
RD 20 may 2026