title: Polychlorinated biphenyls and hexachlorocyclohexanes in sediments and fish species from the Napoleon Gulf of Lake Victoria, Uganda.
abstract: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were analyzed in surface sediments (<30 cm depth) and two fish species: Nile perch (Lates niloticus) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The samples were collected from the Napoleon Gulf on the northern shore of Lake Victoria. The analysis was done using a gas chromatograph (GC) coupled to a high resolution mass spectrometer for PCBs and a GC equipped with an electron capture detector for HCHs. Total (Σ) PCBs in the muscles of fish varied widely with mean values ranging from 41 to 670 pg g(-1) lipid weight (lw). The PCB levels in L. niloticus were significantly greater than those in O. niloticus. The large variability observed in the data was attributed to differences in feeding habits and trophic levels. While O. niloticus is a filter-eating fish species feeding mainly on phytoplankton and zooplankton, L. niloticus have predatory feeding behaviors and prefer a diet of live fish and, therefore, are more prone to bio-accumulate contaminants. The mean PCB concentrations in the sediments varied from 362 to 848 pg g(-1) dry weight. Variations in PCB levels were observed from one study site to another, this was attributed to the nature and particle size of the sediments. HCH isomers were detected in fish at mean concentrations of up to 45,900 pg g(-1) lw. The PCB and HCH concentrations were lower than those from previous studies elsewhere in literature and were below the maximum residue limits set by the European Commission and FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, implying that the fish was fit for human consumption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China. Electronic address: ssebugere@chemistry.mak.ac.ug.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ssebugere
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Green Chemistry, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Sammonkatu 12, 50130 Mikkeli, Finland.
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sillanpää
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Bernard T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Kiremire
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Gabriel N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Kasozi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Pu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Agriculture, Alabata, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Samuel O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Sojinu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Maseno University, P.O. Box 333, 40105 Maseno, Kenya.
authors.forename: Peter O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Otieno
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Nali
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Chaofei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Haidong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Hongtao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Daiwei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Yingming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Qinghua
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Guibin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023681:Cichlids / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D060106:Lakes / Q000737:chemistry; D010473:Perciformes / Q000378:metabolism; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D014454:Uganda; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Fish; HCHs; Lake Victoria; Napoleon Gulf; PCBs; Sediments