Levels and enantiomeric ratios of α-hch, oxychlordane, and pcb 149 in blubber of harbour seals ( Phoca vitulina) and grey seals ( Halichoerus grypus) from iceland and further species

Abstract

The chiral stationary phase β-TBDM (35% heptakis(6- O-tert.-butyldimethylsily12,3-di O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin in OV-1701) was applied to study the enantioenrichment of α-HCH, oxychlordane, and PCB 149 in blubber of two seal species from Iceland by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. The examined habour seals ( Phoca vitulina) and grey seals ( Halichoerus grypus) showed α-HCH enantiomeric ratios (ER) > 1. The ER of PCB 149 was comparable in the two species from Iceland but for oxychlordane ER < 1 was observed in harbour seals while the oxychlordane ER in grey seals was > 1. In blubber of Weddell seals ( Leptonychotes Weddelf) from the Antarctic we determined an α-HCH ER < 1 which is in contrast to the Icelandic seal species and a sample from Lake Baikal.