Baseline Studies of the Global Pollution I. Occurrence of Organohalogens in Pristine European and Antarctic Aquatic Environments

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Abstract
Pristine Alpian fresh water lakes with no run off were selected to monitor the atmospheric fall-out of C6—C12-organochlorine compounds. Off-shore marine areas were taken for monitoring the average marine pollution by these compounds. In both cases fishes have been used as bioextractors. The analytical work-up combines solvent-partition, liquid chromatography and glass capillary gas chromatography with the electron capture detector. The identification is done by matching high-resolution retention indices of unknowns with those of reference cpmpounds. The following compounds could be identified in the spawn of arctic chars (Salvelinus alpinus) caught in off-road Alpian lakes as well as in the liver of predatory antarctic cod (Dissostichus eleginoides) caught near South Georgia, as well as in Peru fish oil and crude sperm oil: hexachlorobenzene; α-, β-, γ-hexachlorocyclohexane; 4.4′-DDT; 4,4′-DDE; 4,4′-DDD; 2,4′-DDT; 2,4′-DDE; 2,4′-DDD; heptachloroepoxide; polychlorobiphenyls (PCB) and polychlorocamphenes. Concentrations are given in nanogram/gram total lipid extract (ppb). First value Salvelinus (Alps), second value Dissostichus (Antarctic Ocean), a-HCH: 40/0,1; β-HCH: 4,1/0,1; γ-HCH: 17,2/0,1; HCB: 65/8; 4,4′-DDT: 59/4; 4,4′-DDE: 477/5; [Sgrave] DDT 646/11,4; [Sgrave] PCB: 1030/32; [Sgrave] PCC: 124/68.