Abstract
The organic derivatives of phenol are classed as dangerous compounds, and their presence has been detected in surface water, bottom water, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and mussel as well as liver and muscle of fish from the Gulf of Gdańsk and in liver, muscle, and guano of gulls residing in the coastal zone of this basin. The greatest sources of bisphenol A (BPA), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), and 4-nonylphenol (NP) were found to be the Vistula River and the water purification plant in Dębogórze. In living organisms, concentrations of BPA, OP, and NP ranged between the limit of quantification and several hundred ng g−1 dry weight (dw), and the highest concentrations were found for BPA. Prolonged alimentary exposure to BPA, OP, and NP in fish and birds was indicated by liver/muscle concentration ratios generally >1. The most influential factors on BPA and alkylphenol concentrations in the tissues of fishes and gulls were mainly diet and habitat. The study confirmed possible bioaccumulation in the food web. High BPA and NP concentrations in guano (≤2,700 and ≤300 ng g−1 dw, respectively) indicated the ability of birds to detoxify and signalled the reintroduction of these compounds to seawater. Herring, flounder, and cod from the Southern Baltic are a safe food source for human consumption because their BPA and alkylphenol contents are low.
Highlights
The organic derivatives of phenol are classed as dangerous compounds, and their presence has been detected in surface water, bottom water, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and mussel as well as liver and muscle of fish from the Gulf of Gdansk and in liver, muscle, and guano of gulls residing in the coastal zone of this basin
The concentration results obtained for bisphenol A (BPA), OP, and NP in the coastal area of the Gulf of Gdansk represent the first such set of data for the ecosystem of the Gulf of Gdansk and indicate that this region is not contaminated with BPA, OP, or NP and is in this regard, rather safe for humans
BPA and NP concentrations found in water do not pose an ecological threat, but ecotoxicological effects may occasionally be observed for OP (EC/PNEC ratio [1)
Summary
The organic derivatives of phenol are classed as dangerous compounds, and their presence has been detected in surface water, bottom water, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and mussel as well as liver and muscle of fish from the Gulf of Gdansk and in liver, muscle, and guano of gulls residing in the coastal zone of this basin. A lesser-known group of compounds, in terms of occurrence and transfer in the food web of marine organisms, are derivatives of phenol. The bioaccumulation of NP has been studied in various species of algae, plants, invertebrates, and freshwater fish and determined to be of a low or medium level (Ahel et al 1993; Snyder et al 2001). Previous studies performed on the content and transformations of alkylphenols have concentrated mainly on freshwater species and, for the most part, bioaccumulation was determined in laboratories. There are currently very few publications on the distribution and transportation of these compounds in the food web of animals living in the wild, and, so far, no such studies have been performed in the Baltic Sea
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