Residues of polychlorinated biphenyls in edible fish of the Adriatic sea: Assessment of human exposure

Food consumption is an important route of human exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To assess the potential health risks associated with these contaminants due to fish consumption, the muscle tissue of ediblespeciesoffishwasanalyzed.Contaminationlevelsamongthedifferentspeciesvariedfrom134to1210ng/glipid weight. Isomer-specific analysis revealed a profile dominated by hexa- (57.9% to 82.9%) and pentachlorobiphenyls (10.3% to 23.9%), followed by hepta- (9.0% to 19.2%) and tetrachlorobiphenyls (0.7% to 17.5%). Other congeners, including those with less than 4 or more than 9 chlorine atoms, were below the instrumental limit of detection in all samples. Risk evaluation for human health was carried out by comparing the experimental data with the new EuropeanCommission legal level and a new approach proposed by the U.S. EPA to protect population-segmentswho repeatedly consume fish. The dietary intake of PCBs, as WHO-TEQ per kg body weight (b.w.), was below 8 pg TEQ/kg bodyweight/week, while thenewEPAapproach suggested that the chronic effects do not represent any type of danger for human health, while the possible rise in the carcinogenic risk connected with consumption of some type of fish is more worrisome

Analysing persistent organic pollutants in eggs, blood and tissue of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) using gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS)

Investigation into persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in sea turtles is an important area of conservation research due to the harmful effects of these chemicals. However, the analysis of POPs in the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) has been limited by methods with relatively high limits of detection and high costs associated with multiple sample injections into complex arrangements of analytical equipment. The present study aimed to develop a method that could detect a large number of POPs in the blood, eggs and tissue of C. mydas at trace concentrations. A gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method was developed that could report 125 POP compounds to a limit of detection o