Determination of\nNanoparticles and Elements in Blue\nMussels (Mytilus edulis) along the\nNorwegian Coastline

Our work aimed to examine nanoparticle levels in 69 distinct\npooled\nmussel samples along the Norwegian coastline, considering samples\nfrom different environmental contexts, including natural locations,\npotentially polluted hotspots, and mussel farms. Single-particle ICP-MS\nwas utilized to determine particle mass and number concentrations\nat environmentally relevant levels in addition to the total content\nof 11 elements: aluminum, barium, cerium, copper, iron, manganese,\nlead, silicon, silver, titanium, and zirconium. Results showed nanoparticle\nmass concentrations of few ng/g up to tens of μg/g and number\nconcentrations of 10<sup>6</sup> to 10<sup>9</sup> particles/g (wet\nweight). Certain urban and industrially impacted locations were linked\nto increased levels of, e.g., silver, lead, cerium, zirconium, and\ntitanium NPs. Farmed mussels exhibited lower concentrations. However,\nnatural variations were considerable, and impacted locations mostly\ndid not differ from the highest levels in pristine areas. The study\npresents the first extensive survey of NPs of 11 different elements\nin marine biota and provides evidence of increased levels of NPs in\nareas with anthropogenic activities.