Species-specific bioaccumulation of halogenated organic pollutants and their metabolites in fish serum from an e-waste site, South China.

Abstract

Halogenated organic pollutants (HOPs)-including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), polybromobiphenyls (PBBs), dechlorane plus (DP), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) as well as PCB metabolites (methylsulfone [MeSO2-]) and hydroxylated (OH-) PCBs and OH-PBDEs-were determined in the serum of mud carp and northern snakehead from an electronic-waste (e-waste) site in South China. The average concentrations (mean±SD) of ΣPCBs, ΣPBDEs, ΣOCPs, ΣPBBs, ΣTBBPA, ΣHBCDs, and ΣDP were 1410±324, 70±20, 3.0±0.4, 2.8±0.8, 1.6±0.4, 1.0±0.2, and 0.3±0.03ng/g wet weight (ww) in mud carp and 6430±781, 468±49, 22.4±1.1, 7.0±0.6, 2.9±2.3, 5.5±1.1, and 4.6±0.6ng/g ww in northern snakehead, respectively. MeSO2-PCBs, OH-PCBs, and OH-PBDEs were detected at a total concentration of 0.44±0.03 and 9.7±0.3ng/g ww in mud carp and northern snakehead, respectively. The congener profiles of PCBs, PBDEs, OH/MeSO2-PCBs, and OH-PBDEs were found to be significantly different between the two fish species, possibly as a result of species-specific bioaccumulation and/or metabolism of the HOPs. Chirality of ten PCB congeners and α-HBCD, as well as the f anti values of DP in the serum samples, supported the species-specific biotransformation of HOPs. Furthermore, the presence of covaried and counter-varied enantiomeric fractions of PCBs between the two fish species indicated species- and congener-specific enantiomer enrichment of PCBs.