Organohalogen pollutants in herring from the northern Baltic Sea: concentrations, congener profiles and explanatory factors.
Organohalogen contaminants were investigated in Baltic herring caught from three catchment areas in the Baltic Sea, off the coasts of Finland. Pools of both small and large herring were analysed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, naphthalenes, camphenes (toxaphene), polybrominated diphenyl ethers and the pesticide DDT and its metabolites. PCB concentrations per fresh weight in small herring were at the same level in all catchment areas, i.e. the Bothnian Bay, the Bothnian Sea and the Gulf of Finland, revealing no hot spots and reflecting most likely long term emissions and atmospheric deposition. Differences in the levels and/or congener profiles of other contaminants between catchment areas may be explained by point sources. Similar concentrations in small and large herring in the Gulf of Finland were possibly due to their common nutrition. In the other areas, differences between small and large herring most likely reflected their different food sources.
National Public Health Institute, Department of Environmental Health, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio, Finland. jaana.koistinen@helsinki.fi
Jaana
J
Koistinen
Hannu
H
Kiviranta
Päivi
P
Ruokojärvi
Raimo
R
Parmanne
Matti
M
Verta
Anja
A
Hallikainen
Terttu
T
Vartiainen
D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D003634:DDT / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005387:Finland; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D006846:Hydrocarbons, Halogenated / Q000032:analysis*; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D012623:Seawater; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D006846:Hydrocarbons, Halogenated; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003634:DDT; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls