Legacy and emergent persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in NW Mediterranean deep-sea organisms

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2013-01, Vol.443, p.358-366
• Main Authors: Koenig, Samuel, Huertas, David, Fernández, Pilar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alepocephalus rostratus; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Antennas; Applied ecology; Aristeus antennatus; Biological and medical sciences; Coelorinchus; Contaminants; Crustacea; Crustaceans; DDT; Deep-sea; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Ethers; Fish; Fishes - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Lepidion lepidion; Marine; Marine and brackish environment; Marine Biology; Mediterranean Sea; Metabolites; Organic Chemicals - metabolism; Persistent organic pollutants (POPs); Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE); Polychlorinated biphenyls; Quality Control; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.10.111

The levels and profiles of organochlorine (OC) contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and penta- (PeCB) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), as well as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were determined in muscle samples of the deep-sea fish Alepocephalus rostratus, Coelorinchus mediterraneus and Lepidion lepidion and the red-shrimp Aristeus antennatus from the NW Mediterranean Sea. Mean PCB and DDT levels ranged from the highest concentrations in the fish A. rostratus (Σ7PCBs 6.93±0.71ng/gw.w. and ΣDDTs 8.43±1.10ng/gw.w.) to the lowest concentrations in the crustacean A. antennatus (Σ7PCBs 1.17±0.24ng/gw.w. and ΣDDTs 2.53±0.26ng/gw.w.). The concentrations of ΣHCHs and HCB were more than one order of magnitude lower, ranging from 0.07–0.36ng/gw.w. and 0.03–0.15ng/gw.w., respectively, while PeCB was only detected in a few samples. PBDE levels were approximately ten times lower than PCB and DDT concentrations, ranging from 0.47±0.20ng/gw.w. in A. antennatus to 0.92±0.13ng/gw.w. in A. rostratus. The high-molecular-weight PCBs 153, 138 and 180 represented 69–79% of Σ7PCBs in fish and 60% in the red shrimp. Moreover, in fish, the main DDT compound detected was the metabolite p,p′-DDE (70–80% of ΣDDTs), indicative of old DDT residues. In contrast, o,p′-DDE was the main DDT metabolite (49% of ΣDDTs) in shrimp, while the parent compound p,p′-DDT and its metabolite p,p′-DDE exhibited similar proportions of 16% and 21%, respectively. For PBDEs, the most abundant congeners were BDEs 28, 47, 99, 100 and 154 in fish (>70% Σ14PBDEs), while BDEs 153 and 209 were also important in A. antennatus, suggesting different uptake and/or biotransformation rates of PBDEs between fish and crustacea. In this sense, the ratios BDE 99/100, BDE 153/154, and BDE 47/99 were determined as proxies for BDE metabolization capacities and contrasted among species. ► PCBs and DDTs were most dominant POPs in all species. ► PBDE levels were generally ten times lower than PCBs and DDTs. ► More chlorinated and brominated compounds dominated profiles. ► Significantly different POP distributions were observed in fish and the crustacean. ► Higher BDE 99/100 and BDE 153/154 ratios indicate lower BDE metabolization in shrimp.