Abstract
Currently, monitoring of persistent organic pollutant (POP) content in various biological and environmental matrixes in the Arctic is an urgent task. The present study focused on the determination of POPs such as: PCB#28, PCB#52, PCB#101, PCB#105, PCB#118, PCB#123, PCB#153, PCB#128, p,p’-DDE, o,p’-DDE, p,p’-DDD, o,p’-DDD, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), cis-nonachlor, trans-nonachlor, cis-chlordane, trans-chlordane, mirex, 1,2,3,5-tetrachlorobenzene and 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene in fish consumed by the indigenous people of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO) of the Russian Arctic. Fish samples were analyzed by gas chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) using the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) technique. The obtained results show that the major POPs in fish were dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) breakdown products and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) congeners. The ∑PCB8 in pink salmon, Arctic char, navaga, humpback whitefish and northern pike were 1.54, 1.58, 1.24, 0.72 and 0.32 ng/g (ww), respectively. The main PCB congeners maximum average medium concentrations were 0.68 ng/g (ww) and 0.51 ng/g (ww) of PCB#153 in navaga and PCB#128 in pink salmon, respectively. The main DDT breakdown product was p,p’-DDE. In Arctic char, pink salmon, navaga, humpback whitefish and northern pike, the concentration of p,p’-DDE was 0.58, 1.61, 0.49, 0.63 and 0.08 ng/g (ww), respectively. A moderate positive relationship between ∑PCB8 and lipid content and a high positive relationship between ∑DDT and lipid content were observed. In fish samples with fat content <0.5% (northern pike, humpback whitefish), the amount of analyzed POPs was 2 or more times lower than that in fish species with fat content >1% (pink salmon, Arctic char). Despite the large number of fish in the diet of indigenous peoples from NAO, no significant risks were identified. Most legacy POP and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) tend to decrease, which can be explained by past national and regional bans and restriction on their use and emission.
Highlights
The Arctic region is considered to be one of the few unspoiled ecosystems; it is subjected to the negative impact of persistent organic and inorganic pollutants (POPs and PIPs) through transboundary transfers, and to a lesser extent, via ocean currents and rivers [1,2]
The lipid content of the fish muscle is highest in the marine species pink salmon and Arctic char with arithmetic mean values of 2.93 and 1.35 wet weight %, respectively
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)#153 was the dominant PCB congener, which was found in all fish species except northern pike, and the highest mean concentration was found in navaga (0.68 ng/g, ww) (Figure 1)
Summary
The Arctic region is considered to be one of the few unspoiled ecosystems; it is subjected to the negative impact of persistent organic and inorganic pollutants (POPs and PIPs) through transboundary transfers, and to a lesser extent, via ocean currents and rivers [1,2]. POPs and mercury (Hg) typically bioaccumulate and biomagnify in organisms, especially in fat tissues in aqueous food webs in the Arctic These environmental chemical pollutants have been shown to cause negative effects on human health [3,4,5], such as diseases of liver and cardiovascular systems, damage to organs and tissues and endocrine disorders with consequences for the reproductive system [6]. Federal University since 2017 [21] This part of the study presents the concentrations of priority POPs in five fish species: pink salmon, Arctic char, navaga, northern pike and humpback whitefish, which are among the most commonly consumed species by indigenous peoples of coastal villages of Nenets
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