Polychlorinated biphenyls and other chlorinated organic contaminants in the tissues of Mediterranean loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta

Sci Total Environ. 2007 Feb 15;373(2-3):456-63. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.11.040. Epub 2007 Jan 18.

Abstract

Polychlorinated biphenyls including coplanar congeners and DDT compounds were measured in different organs and tissues (liver, kidney, lung and muscle tissue) of loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta from the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The highest levels of these compounds were found in liver (PCBs: 52.32 ng/g; DDTs: 18.27 ng/g), followed by kidney (PCBs: 19.05 ng/g; DDTs: 5.70 ng/g), lung (PCBs: 12.75 ng/g; DDTs: 3.76 ng/g ) and muscle tissue (PCBs: 4.65 ng/g; DDTs: 1.45 ng/g). PCBs revealed a profile dominated by hexa-, penta- and hepta-chlorinated congeners, while among DDTs, the compound in the greatest concentration was p,p'-DDE, (liver: 85.2%, kidney: 93.6%, lung: 86.4%, muscle tissue: 93.2%). The estimated toxic equivalents (pg TEQs/g wet wt) of non- and mono-ortho PCBs were in the range of 1.54-5.86 pg TEQs/g wet wt. Non-ortho coplanar PCB 77 accounted for more than 90% of the total TEQs leaving to mono-ortho only 2.6-6.2%.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Environmental Monitoring*
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / analysis
  • Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / pharmacokinetics
  • Italy
  • Mediterranean Sea
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls / analysis*
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls / pharmacokinetics
  • Tissue Distribution
  • Turtles / metabolism*
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / pharmacokinetics

Substances

  • Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls