Ecology & Safety, Volume 9, 2015

Abstract: This study assessed the presence and concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and its metabolites in tissues of freshwater fish collected from the Lake Burgas and the Lake Mandra in autumn 2014. Concentrations of organochlorine compounds were determined in three fish species: gibel carp (Carassius gibelio), roach (Rutilus rutilus) and perch (Perca fluviatilis). The fish tissues were analyzed also for hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), named as priority substances in current European legislation regarding environmental quality standards (EQS) in biota. The aims of the study were to investigate the presence of pollutants in wild fish species from the lakes near Burgas City, Bulgaria and to compare the results to the levels in other aquatic ecosystems. The fifteen congeners of PCBs, HCB, HCBD, DDT and its two main metabolites DDE and DDD were determined by capillary gas chromatography system with mass spectrometry detection. The levels of organochlorine pollutants in the wild fish were found in the order DDTs > PCBs. Among the DDTs, essentially only the metabolites p, p’-DDE and p, p’-DDD were found. The sum of DDT and its metabolites was determined from 1.81 to 3.99 ng/g wet weight (in perch and gibel carp, respectively) and PCBs concentrations were found below 1.60 ng/g ww. The other contaminants HCB and HCBD were found below the analytical detection limit. The levels of persistent organochlorine pollutants investigated were found lower compared to those in fish species from other aquatic ecosystems.