Anthropogenic and naturally-produced organobrominated compounds in bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean Sea

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2009-09, Vol.76 (11), p.1477-1482
• Main Authors: Pena-Abaurrea, Miren, Weijs, Liesbeth, Ramos, Lourdes, Borghesi, Nicoletta, Corsolini, Simonetta, Neels, Hugo, Blust, Ronny, Covaci, Adrian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Anisoles - metabolism; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; Aquaculture; Biological and medical sciences; Cyclohexanes - metabolism; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environment. Living conditions; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Monitoring; Exact sciences and technology; Farmed bluefin tuna; Female; Flame Retardants - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - metabolism; Hydrocarbons, Brominated - metabolism; Lipids - analysis; Male; Marine; Medical sciences; Mediterranean Sea; MeO-PBDEs; PBDEs; PBHDs; Pollution; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Thunnus thynnus; Tuna - metabolism; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Wild bluefin tuna; Xanthenes - metabolism
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2009.07.004

Anthropogenic compounds, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), together with naturally-produced organobromines, such as methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs), polybrominated hexahydroxanthene derivatives (PBHDs), 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA) and a mixed halogenated monoterpene (MHC-1), were measured in muscle from 26 farmed and wild bluefin tuna ( Thunnus thynnus) caught in the Mediterranean Sea. This species is ecological attractive because of the changes of geographic habitat throughout its long lifespan which affect its feeding. PBDE concentrations were similar between tuna samples of different groups (17–149 ng g −1 lipid weight – lw in farmed tuna, 25–219 ng g −1 lw in longline fished tuna and 26–126 ng g −1 lw in net-fished tuna). However, higher concentrations of naturally-produced MeO-PBDEs and PBHDs were observed in the two types of wild tuna (longline fished and net-fished) compared to farmed tuna suggesting that wild tunas come easily in contact with sources of these compounds. In all cases PBHDs presented the highest contribution to the sum of organobromines (50% in farmed tuna and >90% in wild tuna). TBA was detected at low concentrations (