Cyclic organochlorines in the whelks Buccinum undatum and Neptunea antiqua from the North sea and the Irish sea

Abstract

Abstract The body burdens of PCBs, HCB and p,p′-DDE in the whelks Buccinum undatum and Neptunea antiqua from the North Sea and the Irish Sea during early summer are reported. The patterns of individual PCB congeners were independent of the species, the size of the animals and the geographical origin. Hexachlorobiphenyls were the main congeners. Samples from the German Bight and the Liverpool Bay are more contaminated with PCBs compared to the central North Sea and the Irish Sea. Whelks from the Scottish east coast, the German Bight and the Liverpool Bay show maximum amounts of p,p′-DDE in their tissues. Highest concentration of HCB was found at the Danish coast near Esbjerg.