An integrated assessment of pollution and biological effects in flounder, mussels and sediment in the southern Baltic Sea coastal area

Abstract

Organic and metal contaminants and biological effects were investigated in flounder, mussels, and sediments in the southern Baltic Sea coastal area in order to assess environmental quality status in that area. Four sites were selected, including two within the Gulf of Gdańsk (GoG). In biota and sediment at each site, DDTs dominated over PCBs and PBDEs were the least abundant among organic contaminants. Their concentrations decreased progressively outward from GoG. Among metal contaminants, the levels of Hg, Pb, and Cd were elevated in GoG. Biomarkers in flounder, EROD activity and DNA SB, showed moderate positive correlations with organic and metal contaminants. In flounder, the integrated biomarker index (IBR/n) presented a spatial trend coherent with chemical pollution index (CPI), but there was no clear spatial correspondence between IBR/n and CPI in mussels nor between sediment toxicity index (STI) and sediment CPI. The integrated assessment of contaminant and biological effect data against available assessment criteria indicated that in biota, the contaminant assessment thresholds were most often exceeded by CB-118, heptachlor, PBDE, and Hg (in the GoG sediments by p,p'-DDT, Hg and Cd), while of the biological determinants, the threshold was breeched by AChE activity in mussels in GoG. Applying the ICES/OSPAR traffic-light approach showed that of the 50 parameters assessed at each site, there were 18% of determinants in the red color category in the two GoG sites and 8% of determinants in the two sites outside GoG, which indicated that none of the four investigated sites attained good environmental status (GES).

An Integrated Biomarker Approach Using Flounder to Improve Chemical Risk Assessments in the Heavily Polluted Seine Estuary

“…In the present paper, the Cd concentrations in muscle were moderate comparatively to the heavily polluted Gulf of Gdansk in southern Baltic Sea [17] (flounder muscle: Cd 0.004 µg g −1 dry wt. ), and the levels of Pb and Zn were rather similar to those in the Baltic Sea (flounder muscle: Pb 0.04; Zn 20 µg g −1 dry wt.…”

“…Furthermore, the sum of the major PCB detected in Seine flounder muscle (472 ng g −1 dry wt) was considerably higher than those observed in Baltic Sea polluted sites (15 < 7 PCB < 34 ng g −1 dry wt. ; [17]).…”

“…This weakly exploited flatfish is broadly distributed from Portugal to Norway, with young juveniles being recruited in estuaries where they live for at least two years, before migrating to the mouth of the estuaries for the reproduction, with most individuals returning to their original estuary after spawning [9]. Fitness loss (reduced fish growth and condition index, weak fecundity), modification in gene expression patterns (alterations in apoptosis, energy metabolism and immunity pathways; responses to oxidative stress; induction of detoxification), and "biomarker" signals have been detected in flounder populations located in chronically contaminated environments [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

Immunohistochemical characteristics of porcine intrahepatic nerves under physiological conditions and after Bisphenol A administration

“…However, BPA has also been used in the fabrication of plastic bottles, dental prosthetics, thermal paper, food storage containers found in the home and more [6,7,51]. It may also be found as an environmental pollutant, which may contaminate drinking water as well as any seafood harvested from contaminated ocean waters [3,14,16]. The health effects are wide ranging and especially seem to impact the development of children and young adults, the reproductive system, and the immune system, which may lead to carcinomas [45].…”

The state of bisphenol research in the lesser developed countries of the EU: a mini-review

“…There has also been a recent German study that found the coastal waters of Latvia to be contaminated with bisphenol and several other compounds. 63 Again that study was based in Germany. There are two EU member states that have no published articles concerning bisphenol research.…”