Organochlorine pollutants in fish from the Bulgarian region of the Black Sea

Abstract

Persistent organochlorine pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane residues (DDTs) can still be a problem for the aquatic environment and human health. The levels of DDTs and PCB congeners were determined in fish from the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Four fish species with different feeding behaviour, goby (Neogobius cephalargoides), sprat (Sprattus sprattus sulinus), horse mackerel (Trachurus Mediterraneus ponticus) and shad (Alosa pontica pontica) were sampled from the Bulgarian Black Sea coast during 2007-2010. The DDT and PCB residues were measured in clean fish extracts by gas chromatography with mass detection. The main metabolite p,p'-dichloro diphenyl dichloroethylene was the most frequently detected compound in all fish species and was present in much higher concentrations than the other DDTs (ranging from 119.32 to 1,324.44 ng/g fat). PCBs were found in all fish species at concentrations ranging between 135.1 ng/g fat in horse mackerel and 990.8 ng/g fat in goby (calculated as the sum of 15 investigated congeners). The levels of DDTs and PCBs in fish from Bulgarian Black Sea coast were comparable to those found in fish species from the Black Sea and from neighbouring seas (the Marmara Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea).

Investigation about the presence of organochlorine pollutants in mussels from the Black Sea, Bulgaria

“…Samples were prepared according to a previously described method [18]. Briefly, twenty grams from homogenised tissue were taken for extraction.…”

Selected Contaminants in Fish and Mussels From the Bulgarian Black Sea

“…Whole soft tissue from the pooled samples was homogenized and pools of about 200 g were taken for POPs and 100 g for marine toxins analysis. The method used for the extraction and detection of the POPs in fish and mussel samples has been previously described in detail (Stancheva, 2013) and is briefly presented below. The edible tissues of fish were homogenized, and sub-samples of 20 g were taken for extraction with hexane / dichloromethane in Soxhlet.…”

Dietary intake of organochlorine pesticides through fish from bulgarian black sea coast

“…Samples were prepared according to a previously described method for the preparation and quantitative determinations of DDTs in fish (19). Briefly, twenty grams of homogenized fish tissue were extracted with hexane / dichloromethane in Soxhlet Extractor.…”

“…To evaluate risk exposure, the mean EDIs for these harmful chemicals in each fish species were calculated. On the basis of the measured concentrations in the fish samples (19), the daily dietary intake of DDTs was calculated. The estimated daily intake of the DDTs through fish species studied in the period 2007 -2011 is shown in Figure 1.…”