Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers, Perfluorinated Compounds and Chlorinated Pesticides in Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) from the Mediterranean Sea

The relative isolation of the Mediterranean population, their feeding habits, and the widespread use of their fillets for human consumption make the Mediterranean swordfish, Xiphias gladius, an interesting species from an ecotoxicological and commercial point of views. High resolution gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry detected 19 PBDE congeners, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), p,p’ and o,p’ isomers of DDT, DDE, and DDD in all samples. The presence of PBDEs was reportedforthe firsttime inMediterranean swordfish from the South Tyrrhenian Sea; total PBDE concentrations were 2218 ( 3291 and 612 ( 598 pg/g wet wt in the liver and in the muscle, respectively. Significant correlations were identified between BDE47 and ΣPBDE liver concentrations versus sex and sexualmaturity of specimens. The lipid-normalized concentrations ratio BDEnliver/BDEnmuscle+liver suggested that this species mostly accumulates POPs in the liver. PFOS and PFOA were below the LOD (1.5 and 3 ng/g wet wt, respectively) in all the samples. The ΣDDTs was 155 ( 125 and 309 ( 273 ng/gwetwtinthemuscle andtheliver, respectively. The estimated daily ingestion of PBDEs and DDTs through diet was lower than the acceptable weekly intakes proposed by the World Health Organization.