Non-dioxin-like PCBs in ten different fish species from the Danube river in Serbia

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2011-10, Vol.181 (1-4), p.153-163
• Main Authors: Janković, Saša, Ćurčić, Marijana, Radičević, Tatjana, Stefanović, Srđan, Lenhardt, Mirjana, Durgo, Ksenija, Antonijević, Biljana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abramis brama; Acipenser ruthenus; Agnatha. Pisces; Animal and plant ecology; Animal tissues; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Barbus barbus; Bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; Biomonitoring; Carassius carassius; Carp; Contaminants; Cyprinus carpio; Dioxins; Downstream; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental Monitoring; Esox lucius; Excommunication; Fish; Fishes - metabolism; Food chains; Food contamination & poisoning; Fresh water ecosystems; Freshwater; Freshwater fish; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas chromatography; General aspects; Hypophthalmichthys nobilis; Indicator organisms; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; PCB; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - metabolism; Rivers; Rivers - chemistry; Serbia; Spatial analysis; Stizostedion lucioperca; Studies; Synecology; Tinca tinca; Toxicity; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Pollution, Chemical - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-010-1820-x

This work has been developed to examine the level of non-dioxin-like (ndl) PCBs (28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180) in (a) ten different freshwater fish species from the Danube river, (b) two sampling points: up and downstream of the industrial zone of the city of Pancevo (ecological hot spot in Serbia) and (c) two time points i.e., in 2001 and 2006. Obtained results would serve to analyse spatial, temporal and congener profile characteristics of ndl PCBs cumulated in fish tissues due to environmental pollution. Sixty-four samples of the following species were collected: wels ( Silirus glanus ), pike ( Esox lucius ), bream ( Abramis brama ), crucian carp ( Carassius carassius ), pike pearch ( Stizostedion lucioperca ), barbel ( Barbus barbus ), tench ( Tinca tinca ), sterlet ( Acipenser ruthenus L.), common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) and bighead carp ( Hypophthalmichthys nobilis ). Gas chromatography coupled with electron capture detector was used for analysis of ndl PCBs. Total ndl PCBs content in upstream samples ranged from 2.7 to 98.1 ng/g and from 4.9 to 68.3 ng/g in 2001 and 2006, respectively. During the 5 years, ndl PCBs content increased significantly in downstream samples i.e., ndl PCBs varied from 13.7 to 46.1 ng/g and from 14.4 to 107.2 ng/g in 2001 and 2006, respectively. PCBs 138 and 180 were predominant congeners in 2001, while in 2006 the most abundant PCB congeners were 138 and 153. In 2006, the presence of PCB 28 and PCB 52 has indicated a recent contamination event. Data on continual monitoring of PCBs in all relevant environmental compartments together with appropriate biomonitoring data are expected to give comprehensive insight into the fate and behaviour profile of these contaminants.