Levels of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in Baltic fish

The occurrence and levels of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were determined in herring, sprat and salmon from the southern Baltic Sea, collected in the period 2006-2009. The determinations of HCH isomers (alpha-, beta- and gamma-HCH), HCB Sigma-DDT (p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDD) and Sigma-PCB (seven indicator PCB congeners 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153 and 180) were carried out using capillary gas chromatography. The mean concentrations of Sigma-DDT expressed on whole weight basis ranged from 25.7 mu g/kg (herring) to 64.4 mu g/kg (salmon), and for Sigma-PCB from 15 mu g/kg (herring) to 39.4 mu g/kg (salmon). The levels of Sigma-DDT and Sigma-PCB were about 2.5-fold higher in the muscle of salmon than in muscle of other fish species. The mean contribution of p,p'-DDE to the sum of DDT and PCB 153 and PCB 1138 to the sum of PCB exceeded 60% in all fish samples studied. No differences in contamination levels among the years of study were observed.