Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in honey from stingless bees (Meliponinae) in southern Brazil
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Updated: Aug 20, 2025
Evaluating the Effect of Environmental Chemicals on Honey Bee Development from the Individual to Colony Level
Published on: April 1, 2017
Lucas Cavagnoli Marcolin1, Jean Lucas de Oliveira Arias1, Larine Kupski2
1Post-graduate Program in Food Engineering and Science, Escola de Química e Alimentos, Laboratório de Análise de Compostos Orgânicos e Metais (LACOM), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Av Itália, km 8, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul State 96201-900, Brazil.
Abstract:
This study evaluated sixteen Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) considered priority pollutants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in 13 honey samples from seven Meliponinae species, collected in native forests and industrial areas in southern Brazil. All samples contained at least one PAH. ∑PAHs ranged from 1.4 to 23.3 μg kg-1, where 23 % of samples were above the maximum allowed levels in dietary food for special medical purposes. Furthermore, the Excess Cancer Risk (ECR) ranged from 1.67 × 10-5 to 6.17 × 10-3, and 2.97 × 10-6 to 1.10 × 10-3, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) daily intakes, respectively, being 61.54 % and 15.38 % of the samples above the threshold classified into sever by the USEPA. Results highlighted that honey has been affected by PAH contamination and that it has the potential to be used as an indicator of environmental pollution.
