Influence of metropolitan waste on the concentration of chlorinated hydrocarbons and metals in striped mullet

Abstract

Striped mullet ( Mullus barbatus), taken from five areas in the Saronikos Gulf (Greece), were examined for length, weight, hexane extract, chlorinated hydrocarbons (PCBs, DDE, DDT, DDD, BHCs, heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, endrin) and metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb, Mn, Ni, Cd, Cr, Co). The results established that the waste, either liquid or solid, from the Greater Athens metropolitan area had only a slight influence on the concentration of the metals, but a considerable effect on that of the organochlorine residues. Thus, the samples from the most polluted area, in the vicinity of Piraeus harbour, contained on the average 15 times as much PCBs and DDTs as those from the cleanest area, while the metals levels were raised by just 50%.