Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in plastics ingested by seabirds

Abstract

The occurrence of plastic objects in the digestive tract was assessed in eight species of Procellariiformes collected in southern Brazil and the occurrence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the ingested plastics pellets and plastic fragments was evaluated. PCBs were detected in plastic pellets (491ngg−1) and plastic fragments (243–418ngg−1). Among the OCPs, p,p′-DDE had the highest concentrations, ranging from 68.0 to 99.0ngg−1. The occurrence of organic pollutants in post-consumer plastics supports the fact that plastics are an important source carrying persistent organic pollutants in the marine environment. Although transfer through the food chain may be the main source of exposure to POPs to seabirds, plastics could be an additional source for the organisms which ingest them, like Procellariiformes which are the seabirds most affected by plastic pollution.