NATIONAL STATUS AND TRENDS, MUSSEL WATCH PROGRAM: A 2020 Assessment of Contaminants of Emerging Concern on the South Atlantic Coast

In 2020, the National Mussel Watch Program (MWP) assessed the magnitude and distribution of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in coastal waters in South Carolina and Florida, the latter in collaboration with the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML). Using Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and sediment as indicators of contamination, oyster tissue and sediment samples were analyzed for alkylphenols (APs), polybrominated flame retardants (BFRs) such as polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs).