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Wild Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were collected from 10 coastal sites of Port Phillip Bay, Australia, and 16 types of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in their bodies were measured. Also, mussels from 4 of the 10 sites were sampled and the activities of Metallothioneins (MTs), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and Ethoxyresorufin -o- deethylase (EROD) in the gills were tested. The results demonstrated spatial variation of different PAHs in mussels, which differed from trace metal accumulations to mussels reported in previous studies. Besides, the results of SOD, GST, and EROD showed highly similar features among mussels from all the sites while the results of MTs appeared to be different. The estimation of possible excessive cancer risks caused by wild mussel consumption using the results in this study demonstrated that the PAHs in wild mussels in Port Phillip Bay is a moderate concern for consumers. • Wild mussels were collected from Port Phillip Bay, Australia in 2018. • PAH body burdens of mussels showed spatial variation. • SOD, GST, and EROD activities in mussel gills shared high spatial similarities. • The accumulation of PAHs in mussel is a moderate concern for food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]