Estimation of intake of organochlorine pesticides and chlorobiphenyls through edible fishes from the Italian Adriatic Sea during 1997

To evaluate the levels of contamination of the Adriatic Sea, Italy and to assess the intake of organochlorine (OC) pesticides and polychlorobiphenyls by the general Italian population through seafood, a survey involving 12 species of fish, shellfish and crustaceans has been carried out. Samples have been collected from October to December 1997 from local fishermen and were representative of the Northern, Central and Southern Adriatic Sea. The results from samples collected during autumn 1997 are presented. All samples contained polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at different levels. Among these, PCB 170, 180, 187, 153, 138, 118, 101, 105, 52 were the most frequently and abundantly found. Samples most contaminated by PCBs were mackerel, cod, red mullet and anchovy. The sum of the determined PCBs (limit of determination: 0.05 ng/g for each congener) ranged from 12.42 to 88.17 ng/g. Samples from the North Adriatic Sea appear to be slightly more contaminated than those from the South Adriatic Sea. Among the OC pesticides, essentially only p,p′-DDE and p,p′-DDD were found, with the former appearing at levels up to 25.00 ng/g (ppb) wet weight. For those OC pesticides for which an acceptable daily intake (ADI) is available, estimated daily intake were calculated for the general Italian population, and it is significantly lower than the pertinent ADI.