ABSTRACT
Persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine (OC) pesticides such as DDTs (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), HCHs (hexachlorocyclohexane isomers), CHLs (chlordane compounds) and HCB (hexachlorobenzene), were measured in subcutaneous fat of resident and migratory birds collected from the Nakdong River estuary (NRE) in Korea. Black-tailed gull, a resident bird from the NRE, contained greater concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PCBs than the migratory birds collected in the estuary. For example, mean concentrations of PCDD/Fs in black-tailed gull (395.5 pg/g fat weight) were higher than those in migratory birds, such as greenshank (198.3 pg/g fat weight), common gull (90.9 pg/g fat weight) black-headed gull (84.2 pg/g fat weight), and common tern (47.1 pg/g fat weight). However, concentrations of DDTs and/or HCHs were great in some migratory species, such as little tern (mean DDT 6,200 ng/g fat weight) and black-necked grebe (HCHs 475 ng/g fat weight). This suggested that contamination of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in resident gulls are due to intake of locally contaminated fish near the NRE. Elevated OC pesticide levels in migratory birds indicated that these birds have been exposed to DDTs and HCHs during their migration in Southeast Asian countries where chlorinated pesticides are still used. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachloro dibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents (TEQs) were calculated using the toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) reported by World Health Organization in 1998. Four of the 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners of PCDD/Fs contributed over 90% of the TEQs.
Subject(s)
Benzofurans/pharmacokinetics , Birds , Environmental Exposure , Environmental Pollutants/pharmacokinetics , Polychlorinated Biphenyls/pharmacokinetics , Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins/pharmacokinetics , Soil Pollutants/pharmacokinetics , Adipose Tissue , Animals , Benzofurans/analysis , Chlordan/analysis , Chlordan/pharmacokinetics , Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated , Environmental Pollutants/analysis , Hexachlorobenzene/analysis , Hexachlorobenzene/pharmacokinetics , Hexachlorocyclohexane/analysis , Hexachlorocyclohexane/pharmacokinetics , Korea , Organic Chemicals , Polychlorinated Biphenyls/analysis , Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins/analogs & derivatives , Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins/analysis , Population Dynamics , Soil Pollutants/analysis , Tissue DistributionABSTRACT
Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDDs/DFs) were determined in human adipose tissue samples collected from western Kyungnam, Korea. The residue levels of organochlorine compounds were in the order of DDTs followed by PCBs > HCHs > HCB > PCDDs/DFs. The mean concentrations of 2,3,7,8-TeCDD in male and female tissues were 2.8 and 1.7 pg.g-1 on lipid weight basis, respectively. No significant difference was found in the residue levels of PCDDs/DFs between sexes. In contrast, PCBs and DDTs showed a significant difference between sexes. Unlike the age trend observed for HCHs, PCBs and DDTs, PCDDs/DFs revealed a constant or rather decreasing pattern with increasing age. This is the first report on PCDDs/DFs contamination in human adipose tissue from Korea. Organochlorine concentrations in human adipose tissues from western Kyungnam were generally much lower than those of other countries.
