Mussels have been commonly used in bioassay for quality assessments of environment. Moreover, several standard protocols for the developmental bioassay of bivalves have been proposed. In this study, the EC50 of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was determined using mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis embryonic developmental bioassay. To determine the sensitivity of M. galloprovincialis, their fertilized eggs were exposed to five PAHs (2-metylnaphthalene, fluorene, dibenzothiophene, phenanthrene, pyrene). The EC50 of 2-metylnaphthalene, fluorene, dibenzothiophene, phenanthrene, and pyrene were 232, 273, 67.9, 43.2, and 33.1 μg/L, respectively. The overall sensitivity of M. galloprovincialis in the present developmental bioassay was similar to or more sensitive than that of other marine organisms commonly used in aquatic bioassays. The results of this study could be provide with fundamental data of setting standard for protection of marine life and or can use prediction the aquatic toxicity of PAHs.
