Bioaccumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls in mullet fish in a former shipdismantling harbour, a contaminated estuary, and nearby coastal fish farms

Abstract:

This study investigated the bioaccumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) toward mullet fish (Liza macrolepis) living in former PCB contaminated areas, the Ann-Ping harbour and the Er-Jen estuary, and fish farms located near the above two areas in 2003. The PCB body burdens of collected fish samples are proportional to the contamination level of their locations with the following rank order (greatest to least) from the Er-Jen estuary, the Ann-Ping harbour to the fish farms. Concentration of PCBs of the estuarine mullet has been approximately decreased to one-half of the peak concentration of the 1990s. Although the concentration of PCBs in farmed fish inhabiting near the two contaminated areas was greater than the average of those of fish from local fish markets in Taiwan, no particularly great contamination level was observed in their bodies. Using the less chlorinated PCB fraction (triCB + tetraCB)/total PCBs as the indicator of the origins of PCBs, fish near former contaminated areas had greater body burdens of the more chlorinated PCB congeners, while the farmed fish exhibited a PCB pattern more like that known to originate from air–water exchange with less chlorinated PCBs predominating. Although the PCB contamination has been stopped for a decade, the residual contaminants, supposedly existing in soil and sediments, still contribute to the body burden of fish residing in the estuary and the harbour.

Keywords: PCBs; Er-Jen estuary; Ann-Ping harbour; Fish farm; Liza macrolepis

Article Outline:

1. Introduction

2. Materials and methods

2.1. Sample collection

2.2. Sample preparation and analyses

3. Results and discussion

3.1. General information of fish samples

3.2. PCB concentration

3.3. Congener profile

References

Journal Title: Marine Pollution Bulletin

Volume 51, Issues 8-12, 2005, Pages 932-939

4th International Conference on Marine Pollution and Ecotoxicology

Available online 27 October 2005.

Author: Chung-Te Fu^a, b,  and Shian-Chee Wu^a

Author Affiliation:

^aGraduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71 Zhou Shan St. Taipei City 106, Taiwan

^bDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Vanung University, 1 Vanung Rd. Chungli City 325, Taiwan

Corresponding Author:

Address: Department of Environmental Engineering, Vanung University, 1 Vanung Rd. Chungli City 325, Taiwan. Tel.: +886 3 4515811x705/+886 2 23629435; fax: +886 3 4622232/+886 2 23629435.

Source: Science Direct

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X05004479