of Hamilton Harbour: Implications to remediation and monitoring

Livers from 130 specimens corresponding to 18 species of raptors from Spain were analysed for persistent organochlorine (OC) residues. In all species, p,p′-DDE was the most abundant individual OC compound detected, with geometric means ranging from 61 to 40,086 ng/g ww. The geometric mean for ∑PCB ranged from 225 to 9184 ng/g ww. Migration to Africa, south of Sahara, where p,p′-DDT is still in use, was not associated with higher liver concentrations of its metabolite, p,p′-DDE. The presence of birds in the diet of the species was an important species-specific factor determining the mean liver concentrations of p,p′-DDE and ∑PCB. The effect of the diet on OC concentrations in liver is explained by the lower metabolising capacity of OC compounds in birds, especially for p,p′-DDE.