Marine oil pollution not only does harm to the marine environment, but also its hazardous substances could be accumulated in marine organisms and have adverse effects on the quality and safety of seafood. Due to the special way of living and feeding, marine shellfish has a high accumulation capacity on petroleum hydrocarbon. In order to provide some references for food safety supervisors as well as relevant researchers, this paper summarized the causes and status of marine oil pollution, introduced the component of oil and its detection methods, analyzed the regularity of bioconcentration and elimination of petroleum hydrocarbon by marine shellfish, and reviewed the safety limit of petroleum hydrocarbon in shellfish.