Although oil activities generate numerous forms of environmental impact on biological
communities, studies of these impacts on Brazilian coastal ecosystems are rare. Results of
tests for the content of oil in sediments and organisms indicate a substantially high rate of
degradation. Results for uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in bivalves suggested
the recent occurrence of oil spills and that these organisms differed in their capabilities to
bioconcentrate oil. The mangrove community has suffered constant inputs of oil and has …