Polychlorinated biphenyls and organ ochlorine pesticides in turbot (Psetta maxima maeotica ) from Bulgarian Black Sea

Abstract

Persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and DDT residues (DDTs) were determined in muscle tissue of turbot (Psetta maxima maeotica). The samples were collected from Black Sea, near cape Kaliakra, during 2007 - 2011. The fifteen congeners of PCBs, p,p`-DDT and its metabolites p,p`-DDE and p,p`-DDD were determined by capillary gas chromatography system with mass spectrometry detection. The Indicator PCBs UPAC 180, 153, 138, 118 were found most frequently and abundantly. The sum of the Indicator PCBs ranged from 3.80 to 13.94 ng/g wet weight and did not exceed the European maximum limit. The values of toxic equivalency (TEQs) of the 6 `dioxin-like` PCBs were calculated in the range from 0.02 to 0.09 pg TEQ/g ww and did not exceed the European limit of 6.5 pg TEQ/g ww. Among the DDTs, only p,p`-DDE and p,p`-DDD were found at levels 14.45 and 5.05 ng/g wet weight, respectively. The levels of PCBs and DDTs in turbot were determined comparable to those found in fish species from other aquatic ecosystems.