Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as organochlorine compounds (OCs) are still exploited in some countries both for special permit and for the non-regulation of these products. Marine apex predators like sharks have the potential to accumulate and biomagnify OCs due to their position in the trophic food web. In this study we analyzed hexachlorobenzene (HCB), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 59 muscle samples from by-caught and free ranging sharks of 6 different species collected in 3 different areas: Mediterranean Sea, northern New South Wales (Australia) and Dyer Island (South Africa). Overall, South African specimens were the most impacted by PCBs and Mediterranean species by DDTs. Nevertheless, ratio between pp’DDE/pp’DDT in South African sharks suggested a recent use of this xenobiotic along with DDT fingerprint in Australian specimens, while unusually high values of op’ DDT isomers are probably linked to the use of an industrial (non-insecticidal) DDT.
Consales, G., Cagnazzi, D., Micarelli, P., Sperone, E., K. Broadhurst, M., Rizzuto, S., et al. (2019). Sharks and organochlorine compounds: from Australia to South Africa passing by Mediterranean Sea. In Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Environmental Management, Engineering, Planning and Economics (CEMEPE 2019) and SECOTOX Conference (pp.46-46).
Sharks and organochlorine compounds: from Australia to South Africa passing by Mediterranean Sea
Consales, Guia;Micarelli, Primo;Coppola, Daniele;Carletti, Laura;Marsili, Letizia
2019-01-01
Abstract
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as organochlorine compounds (OCs) are still exploited in some countries both for special permit and for the non-regulation of these products. Marine apex predators like sharks have the potential to accumulate and biomagnify OCs due to their position in the trophic food web. In this study we analyzed hexachlorobenzene (HCB), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 59 muscle samples from by-caught and free ranging sharks of 6 different species collected in 3 different areas: Mediterranean Sea, northern New South Wales (Australia) and Dyer Island (South Africa). Overall, South African specimens were the most impacted by PCBs and Mediterranean species by DDTs. Nevertheless, ratio between pp’DDE/pp’DDT in South African sharks suggested a recent use of this xenobiotic along with DDT fingerprint in Australian specimens, while unusually high values of op’ DDT isomers are probably linked to the use of an industrial (non-insecticidal) DDT.
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https://hdl.handle.net/11365/1226714