Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticide levels in tissues of Caretta caretta from the Adriatic Sea

We detected concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCs) in the liver, muscle, and fat of 11 loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta from the central and southern Adriatic Sea. All samples contained PCBs at various concentrations, with Congener 138 (28%), 153 (27%), and 180 (32%) dominating the congener composition of the tissues. The dioxin-like congener (118, 13%) was detected in all tissues analyzed. The lower-chlorinated PCBs were not detected. The average of the total PCB concentrations, expressed in nanograms per gram wet weight, was 459.6 ng g(-1) in fat, 82.9 ng g(-1) in liver, and 5.8 ng g(-1) in muscle. Among 13 organochlorine pesticides for which analyses were conducted, 4 were detected: p,p'-DDE (57%); p,p'-DDD (16%); and p,p'-DDT and o,p'-DDT (27%). Spatial differences were found among OC concentrations in loggerheads from the central and southern Adriatic Sea. The only samples containing detectable concentrations of p,p'-DDT and o,p'-DDT were from the southern area.