Polycyclic musk fragrances in fish samples from Berlin waterways, Germany

Abstract

The contamination of different fish species by polycyclic musks [Galaxolide (HHCB), Tonalide (AHTN), Celestolide (ADBI), Phantolide (AHMI), and Traesolide (ATII) within the frame work of an exposure monitoring programme are reported. A total of 341 fish samples were taken from three waterways in Berlin known to be contaminated to different extents with sewage. The mean levels of musk fragrance compounds reported on a whole weight basis in fish samples were as follows for the most common polycyclic compound, HHCB, in samples (taken from edible parts) of eel caught in waters strongly polluted with sewage levels were 1513 microg/kg (6471 microg/kg lipid) (AHTN: 726 microg/kg and from slightly polluted waters 52 microg/kg (445 microg/kg lipid) (AHTN: only one value above the detection limit). Median concentrations in fish samples were: perch 200 microg/kg (33.3 mg/kg lipid) common bream 1571 microg/kg (90.1 mg/kg lipid), roach 168 microg/kg (13.0 mg/kg lipid), pike 366 and 370 microg/kg (66.5 and 61.7 mg/kg lipid) and for pike perch 190 microg/kg (47.3 mg/kg lipid). ADBI, AHMI and ATII could be determined only in low concentrations (<10% of the total contents of polycyclics in eel). Clear concentration differences were seen between fish samples from waters contaminated at different levels within the programme of biomonitoring. This demonstrated that polycyclic musks are a very good indicator of the level of contamination of a waterway with sewage. Human exposure to these musk fragrances from consumption of contaminated fish was estimated to be low in comparison to direct dermal absorption from the use of fragrance products.

Source attribution of personal exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mixture using concurrent personal, indoor, and outdoor measurements

“…In the present analyses, the observed I/O ratios for the intensive SHS exposed households during the heating season are considerably lower than the estimated I/O ratios of 5.4 in the smoker’s homes in Germany (Fromme et al, 2001) or I/O ratio of 5.8 in households near an aluminum smelter plant in Canada (Sanderson and Farant 2004). This might be due to > 10-fold increase ambient PAH concentrations in Kraków during the coal-burning season, compared to the summer (Junninen et al, 2009).…”

Investigation of the fate and effects of acetyl cedrene on Capitella teleta and sediment bacterial community

“…The fate of fragrance materials in the aquatic environment can either involve sorption to particles and sedimentation, accumulation in aquatic organisms, (bio)degradation or volatilization to the atmosphere (Osemwengie and Gerstenberger 2004;Salvito et al 2002). Other fragrance materials have been found in aquatic organisms such as mussels, clams and a number of fish species including eels (Draisci et al 1998;Duedahl-Olesen et al 2005;Franke et al 1999;Fromme et al 1999Fromme et al , 2001Gatermann et al 1999Gatermann et al , 2002aOsemwengie and Gerstenberger 2004;Osemwengie and Steinberg 2003) as well as in sharks, seals, otters, dolphins and porpoises (Kannan et al 2005;Nakata 2005). However, AC has to our knowledge not been reported in aquatic organisms.…”

Effects of the polycyclic musk HHCB on individual- and population-level endpoints in Potamopyrgus antipodarum

“…Subsequently, HHCB has been reported in lake and river water (Peck and Hornbuckle, 2004;Moldovan, 2006), in the North Sea (Bester et al, 1998), in biota such as mussels and fish (Fromme et al, 2001a;Gatermann et al, 2002) as well as in top predators, e.g. porpoises, sharks, otters, seals and dolphins (Kannan et al, 2005;Nakata et al, 2007).…”