First attempt to evaluate PBDEs in skin biopsies of striped dolphins from the Mediterranean Sea

Many cetacean species, in particular odontocetes, are top predators in the marine food chain and therefore accumulate high levelsof lipophilic compounds such as halogenated hydrocarbons. Many studies indicate the possibility of using these animals as bioindicators of environmental contamination of relatively limited areas. Today there is a growing concern about the accumulation of brominated organic compounds in the marine food web. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a major family of brominated flame retardants which are lipophilic, persistent, and toxic to both fauna and humans. The highest levels of PBDEs have been found in the top of the marine food chain. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of PBDEs in specimens of striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) sampled with the non-lethal method of biopsy in the Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic areas with different anthropogenic impacts: the Gibraltar Straits, the Pelagos Sanctuary (Ligurian Sea) and the west Ionian Sea (Sicily). The levels of individual PBDEs were determined by GC/MS. Negative chemical ionisation (NCI-MS) using methane as reagent gas, was the operating mode. Results obtained indicated the presence of BDE-99, BDE-153, BDE- 154, BDE-100, and BDE-47 as the most abundant. Total PBDEs found in this study were in the range 8–25ppm (ug/g fresh weight), being samples from the Ligurian sea, the highest contaminated compared to specimens from the Straits of Gibraltar. In addition it should be remarked that total PBDE levels found in this study are similar to total PCB levels found in the same specimens.