title: Persistent toxic substances in Mediterranean aquatic species.
abstract: Fish and fishery products may represent one of the main sources of dietary exposure to persistent toxic substances (PTSs) such as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls; polybromodiphenyl ethers; organochlorine pesticides; perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate; and inorganic mercury and methyl mercury. In this study, PTS contamination of Mediterranean fish and crustaceans caught in Italian coastal waters was investigated in order to increase the representativeness of the occurrence database for wild species. The objectives were to verify the suitability of regulatory limits for PTSs, identify background concentrations values, if any, and examine the possible sources of variability when assessing the chemical body burdens of aquatic species. Twelve wild species of commercial interest and two farmed fish species were chosen. Excluding methyl mercury, chemical concentrations found in wild species fell generally towards the low ends of the concentration ranges found in Europe according to EFSA database and were quite lower than the tolerable maximum levels established in the European Union; farmed fish always showed contamination levels quite lower than those detected in wild species. The data obtained for wild species seemed to confirm the absence of local sources of contamination in the chosen sampling areas; however, species contamination could exceed regulatory levels even in the absence of specific local sources of contamination as a result of the position in the food web and natural variability in species' lifestyle. A species-specific approach to the management of contamination in aquatic organisms is therefore suggested as an alternative to a general approach based only on contaminant body burden. A chemical-specific analysis performed according to organism position in the food chain strengthened the need to develop this approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: roberto.miniero@iss.it.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miniero
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Abate
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Davoli
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Felip
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: De Filippis
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dellatte
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fanelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fattore
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabiola
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fochi
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rita Fulgenzi
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Iacovella
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Laura
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Iamiceli
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Toscana, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lucchetti
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medical Sciences, EAEVE Certificate, Camerino University, Matelica, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Melotti
authors.affiliation: National Research Council, Venice, Italy.
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moret
authors.affiliation: National Research Council, Venice, Italy.
authors.forename: Rossano
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Piazza
authors.affiliation: Centro di Ricerca Interdipartimentale sulle Tecnologie e l'Igiene delle Piccole Specie, Department of Food Science, Alma Mater Studiorum, Bologna University, Ozzano dell'Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roncarati
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Toscana, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ubaldi
authors.affiliation: National Research Council, Venice, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zambon
authors.affiliation: Department of the Environment and Primary Prevention, Italian National Institute for Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: di Domenico
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000378:metabolism; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D010575:Pesticides / Q000378:metabolism; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Crustaceans; Fish; Food safety; Mediterranean Sea; Persistent organic pollutants; Persistent toxic substances