Persistent organic pollutants and trace metals in selected marine organisms from the Akanda National Park, Gabon (Central Africa).

Akanda National Park (ANP) is composed of mangrove ecosystems bordering Libreville, Gabon's capital. The contamination of aquatic resources from the ANP by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and trace metals (TMs) was never evaluated. To provide a basis for their monitoring in the ANP, five species (two fish, two mollusks, and one crustacean) were analyzed from three sampling sites in 2017. Contamination levels for POPs and TMs were below maximum acceptable limits for seafood, including Cd and Pb. No DDT was found in any sample. Inter-specific differences were more obvious than the differences among sites, although the results may be biased by an unbalanced sampling design. The oyster Crassostrea gasar was the most contaminated species, making this species a good candidate to assess environmental contamination in the area. The studied species also contained essential elements, such as Fe, Zn and Mn at interesting levels in a nutritional point of view. • Levels of studied contaminants in organisms from Akanda national park are low. • Interspecific differences in contamination were stronger than inter sites differences. • Crassostrea gasar was the most contaminated species and could serve as a sentinel. • A monitoring program including more contaminants must be developed in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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