Distribution of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in two spices of fish from Danube

Abstract

The distribution and contents of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were analyzed in Bream (Blicca bjoerkna) and Barbel (Barbus barbus) from the Danube River, near Batajnica. The analysed compounds were 16 OCPs (α-Hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH), β-Hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), γ-Hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH), δ-Hexachlorocyclohexane (δ-HCH), Heptachlor, Aldrin, cis-Heptachloroepoxide (cis-HCE), trans-Heptachloroepoxide (trans-HCE), γ-Chlordane, p,p'-Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), α-Chlordane, Dieldrin, Endrin, p,p'-Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p'-DDD), p,p'-Dichlorodiphenyltri-chloroethane (p,p'-DDT)) and 7 PCB congeners (IUPAC numbers 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, 180, 118). Determination and quantification of OCPs and PCBs were performed by a GC-ECD method. The proximate composition of fish fillets was determined by applying standard SRPS ISO methods. The statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between the OCPs content in Bream and Barbel, as well as between PCBs content in the analyzed fish filets. Among all analyzed pesticides, both fish contained the highest amounts of ΣDDT (expressed as sum of p,p'-DDT + p,p'-DDE + p,p'-DDD), (13.8 ng/g fish - Bream, 2.6 ng/g fish - Barbel). The sum of PCB congeners in Bream filets (40.8 ng/g fish) was significantly higher than in Barbel filets (7.2 ng/g fish). Results of Student's t-test (p = 0.05) showed the differences in the content of lipids, moisture, ash and calculated energy value between the analyzed fish filets. Four times higher fat content in Bream (4.25%) than in Barbel (1.07%) is one of the main reasons for higher content of OCPs and PCBs in Bream compared to Barbel, which were taken from the same location (The Danube River, Batajnica).