title: Temporal and spatial trends of PCBs, DDTs, HCHs, and HCB in Swedish marine biota 1969-2012.
abstract: In the 1960s, the Baltic Sea was severely polluted by organic contaminants such as PCBs, HCHs, HCB, and DDTs. Elevated concentrations caused severe adverse effects in Baltic biota. Since then, these substances have been monitored temporally and spatially in Baltic biota, primarily in herring (Clupea harengus) and in guillemot (Uria aalge) egg, but also in cod (Gadus morhua), perch (Perca fluviatilis), eelpout (Zoarces viviparous), and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). These chemicals were banned in Sweden in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Since the start of monitoring, overall significant decreases of about 70-90 % have been observed. However, concentrations are still higher in the Baltic Sea than in, for example, the North Sea. CB-118 and DDE exceed the suggested target concentrations (24 µg kg(-1) lipid weight and 5 µg kg(-1) wet weight, respectively) at certain sites in some of the monitored species, showing that concentrations may still be too high to protect the most sensitive organisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 114 18, Stockholm, Sweden, elisabeth.nyberg@nrm.se.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nyberg
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Faxneld
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Danielsson
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: Aroha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bignert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000032:analysis*; D009659:North Sea; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*; D013548:Sweden; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls