Investigation of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in fish from the southern Baltic Sea during the 2002–2006 period

Abstract Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in the southern Baltic herring ( Clupea harengus ), sprat ( Sprattus sprattus ), and salmon ( Salmo salar ) are reported. The significant interspecies and season-specific differences in PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs concentrations were observed. The contribution of dl-PCBs to the total toxicity equivalents (TEQs) ranged between 50% and 70%, dependently on fish species. In all samples, concentrations of PCDF were higher in comparison with that of PCDD. The permissible limits of the content of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs (8 pg g −1 fresh weight for the sum of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs, and 4 pg g −1 fresh weight for the PCDD/Fs) were exceeded mainly in salmon samples (in 80% of salmon samples studied). The elevated levels of PCDD/F and dl-PCB were observed only in two of seventy two herring samples, and in ten of 62 sprat samples. The multiple regression analysis revealed that fish lipid content, and concentration of PCB 153, used simultaneously, might be useful in the prediction of TEQ values of fish samples. These two variables explained more than 80% of total variance. For all fish species studied, the correlation coefficients obtained with the multiple regression analysis were higher than that obtained with the regression analysis involving total TEQ values, and only one independent variable: fish lipid content.