Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are pollutants of global concern in coastal environments. They have a wide range of biological toxicity and due to their inherent properties, can easily bioaccumulate in organisms and concentrate in the environment. This work evaluated, in an integrated way, the seasonal PAH distribution patterns in sediments and four bioindicators fish species in a highly impacted estuary of Argentina; besides, their bioaccumulation patterns were assessed for the first time as indicator of ecological risk. The highest PAH levels in fish were found for Ramnogaster arcuata with an average of 64 ng g⁻¹ w.w., followed by Micropogonias furnieri (45 ng g⁻¹ w.w.), Cynoscion guatucupa (28 ng g⁻¹ w.w.), and Mustelus schmitti (16 ng g⁻¹ w.w.). Fish presented the highest PAH levels in fall with a predominance of petrogenic PAHs in colder seasons and pyrolytic PAHs in warmer seasons. Sediments presented an average of 233 ng g⁻¹ d.w. with the same seasonal composition pattern of the fish tissues. Additionally, the data suggested that the main source of PAHs are wastewater discharges. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of PAHs in the tested fishes were found to range from 0.3 to 8. The highest values were observed during fall and winter, while bioaccumulation did not occur in moist spring and summer samples, which would suggest a high biotransformation process during these seasons. Results suggested that class III of juvenile C. guatucupa and M. furnieri, and adults R. arcuata are more sensitive bioindicators of chronic PAH contamination and that their bioaccumulation is independent of the compound hydrophobicity; this could have a positively influence on the criteria used for biological monitoring programs along the Atlantic coast. In addition, the presented BAF data on the target species will serve as a useful pollution indicator for South Atlantic coastal fish.

多环芳烃 (PAH) 是沿海环境中全球关注的污染物。它们具有广泛的生物毒性，并且由于其固有特性，很容易在生物体内积累并在环境中浓缩。这项工作以综合方式评估了阿根廷受严重影响的河口沉积物中 PAH 的季节性分布模式和四种生物指标鱼类；此外，首次评估了它们的生物积累模式，作为生态风险的指标。鱼类中 PAH 含量最高的是Ramnogaster arcuata，平均为 64 ng g ^-1 ww，其次是Micropogonias furnieri（45 ng g ^-1 ww）、Cynoscion guatucupa(28 ng g ^-1 ww) 和Mustelus schmitti (16 ng g ^-1 ww)。秋季鱼类的 PAH 含量最高，寒冷季节主要是岩源性多环芳烃，温暖季节主要是热解多环芳烃。沉积物平均为 233 ng g ^-1dw 具有相同的鱼类组织季节性组成模式。此外，数据表明多环芳烃的主要来源是废水排放。发现测试鱼体内多环芳烃的生物累积因子 (BAF) 介于 0.3 至 8 之间。最高值在秋季和冬季观察到，而在潮湿的春季和夏季样本中未发生生物累积，这表明生物转化过程较高在这些季节。结果表明，C. guatucupa和M. furnieri幼鱼的 III 类，以及R. arcuata 成鱼是慢性多环芳烃污染更敏感的生物指标，它们的生物积累与化合物的疏水性无关；这可能会对大西洋沿岸生物监测方案所使用的标准产生积极影响。此外，所提供的目标物种 BAF 数据将作为南大西洋沿海鱼类的有用污染指标。