Polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a one-off global survey of bivalves

Abstract

During the Danish Galathea 3 expedition, bivalve samples were collected at the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Ghana, South Africa, Australia, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, Chile, US Virgin Islands, Boston, Newfoundland and Shetland Islands and analysed for organochlorines and PAHs. Concentration differences of up to three orders of magnitude were observed, with the highest concentrations at Boston harbour (SPCB 338 ng g(-1) dw, ΣSPAH 5966 ng g(-1) dw) and the Sydney estuary (ΣSPCB 282 ng g(-1) dw, SPAH 1453 ng g(-1) dw). Local impacts were also found for the Greenland capital Nuuk in terms of PCB and PAH levels, while other Greenland samples came closest to representing PAH background levels. Several locations had undetectable organochlorine levels, including Hobart and Chile, which had the lowest SPAH concentrations (<200 ng g(-1) dw). It was possible to group the stations according to their pyrogenic/petrogenic influence using Principal Component Analyses, and indications of petroleum sources were found at Nuuk.

Effects of various pollutant mixtures on immune responses of the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) collected at a salinity gradient in Danish coastal waters

“…The determination of the lipid content was performed according to Smedes (1999). Organochlorine compounds including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs: CB-28 3144, 49, 52, 99, 101, 105,110, 118,128, 138, 149, 151, 153, 156, 170, 180 and 187), and the pesticides dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs: o 0 p-DDE, o 0 p-DDT, p 0 p 0 -DDD, p 0 p-DDE, p 0 p-DDT), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs: alpha-HCH, beta-HCH, gamma-HCH), Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and trans-nonachlor (a derivate of chlordane) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs: naphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, dimethylnaphthalene, trimethylnaphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, dibenzothiophene, methyldibenzothiophene, Phenanthrene, methylphenanthrene, dimethylphenanhtrene, anthracene, benz(a)fluorene, fluoranthene, pyrene, 1-methylpyrene, benz(a)anthracene, chrysene/triphenylene, benz(b þ j þ k)fluoranthene, benz(e)pyrene, benz(a)pyrene, perylene, indeno(1.2.3-cd) pyrene, benz(ghi)perylene, dibenz(a.h)anthracene) were analysed with GC-ECD and GCeMS, respectively, according to the method described in Vorkamp et al (2010). Organotin compounds (TBT, DBT, MBT, TPhT) were analysed with GC-PFPD according to Strand et al (2003), and the trace metals Zn, Cu, Cd, Hg, Pb, Ni, Cr, As, were analysed with ICP-MS or AA according to Larsen et al (2011b).…”

Different organochlorine contaminant profiles in groups of flounders (Platichthys flesus) from sampling locations around Denmark

“…This indicates a comparable fate in the environment, in terms of transport pathways, uptake, and accumulation in biota and biomagnification. However, a larger concentration range was found for ∑PCB than for ∑DDT, which might reflect former local sources of PCBs (Vorkamp et al 2010). The correlation with b-HCH was less pro- Note: These data include three of the locations used in the calibration of the model (North Sea, Wadden Sea, Great Belt) and two additional locations (Svanemøllen and Vedbaek) located near Copenhagen.…”

Ecological risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in coastal sediments along the northern shores of the Bohai Sea (China)

“…According to Vorkamp et al [36], in a global survey, the PAH contents in bivalves varied from 0.261 to 15.1 nM g −1 . Based on this previous research, it is unlikely that PAHs accumulated in the sediments of Bohai would biologically concentrate via the aquatic food chain to harm consumers of marine harvests.…”