Chlorinated Persistent Organic Pollutants (PCDD/Fs and PCBs) in Loggerhead Sea Turtles Stranded along the Central Adriatic Coast

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants are widespread in the marine environment. They can bioaccumulate and biomagnify in marine organisms through the food web with a potentially toxic effect on living organisms. The sea turtle Caretta caretta is a carnivorous animal with opportunistic feeding behavior. These turtles tend to bioaccumulate pollutants through food, and hence they can be considered an indicator of chemical pollutants in the marine ecosystem. In this study, 44 loggerhead sea turtles were considered, and liver and fat tissue were sampled from each of them to investigate the levels of dioxins (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sea turtles and their potential correlation with sex and size in terms of curved carapace length (CCL). Results suggested that these contaminants were easily bioaccumulated, and PCBs were predominant compared to dioxins in both liver and fat tissue. The congener patterns were similar to those found in sea fish. Moreover, there were no differences in the contamination levels between females and males, nor was there a correlation with the size. There is a need to harmonize the methodological approaches to better evaluate the results and trends over time and to monitor the species and indirectly the health status of the marine environment.

Trace Elements and Persistent Organic Pollutants in Unhatched Loggerhead Turtle Eggs from an Emerging Nesting Site along the Southwestern Coasts of Italy, Western Mediterranean Sea

“…Although the production and use of PCBs have ceased completely, their traces can still be found in electrical systems, in the environment, and in food. It is for this reason that PCBs have been detected in turtle tissues from the Mediterranean Sea many years after their ban [ 19 , 39 , 40 ].…”

“…In the Mediterranean Sea, the vast majority of the studies focused specifically on the presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs, PAHs, and DDT metabolites or trace elements in tissues and organs of stranded juveniles and adults [ 12 , 19 , 21 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. Very little is known about levels of contaminants in eggs, the pattern of maternal transfer of these pollutants, and their potential effect on the reproductive success of nesting populations [ 31 , 48 ].…”