76
I. Corsi et al.
referred to salmon coming from the Great Lakes,
a widely polluted area, were 46.8 for mono-artha
and 8.3 for di -artho which highly exceed ours.
Moreover, in comparing our values with
those reported for Thunnus thynnus thynnus
from the Tyrrhenian Sea (Corsolini et al. 1995)
which are 128.55-69.4 for mono-artha and 8.334.63 for di-ortho in muscle and liver respectively.
our data are much lower. Thus the Adriatic
species studied by us do not indicate a potential
risk in terms of human fish consumption according to this finding.
In this respect, the approach reported by the
JMG guidelines (1992) indicates a threshold of
the "upper" range of 5000 ng g-l for polychlorobiphenyl levels in fish tissue that is extremely
high compared to our data. Therefore muscle fillets are presumably not a dangerous source of
organochlorines for the fish consumer in the
Adriatic basin. at least not the muscle fillets of
the species monitored in this study.
Although our results do not allow us to
defme the Adriatic Sea as a sink of pollution, the
presence of detectable levels of these contaminants evidence the necessity to continue monitoring of them until they are completely eliminated.
Acknowledgements. This research was funded by the Italian
National Research Council (CNR) as a part of a research programme called PRISMA 2 for the safeguard of the Adriatic
Sea.
References
Ahlborg UG, Becking GC, Birnbaum L5, Brouwer A, Derks HJGM,
Feeley M, Golor G, Hanberg A, Larsen IC, Liem AKD, Safe
SH, Schlatter C, Waern F, Younes M, Yrjanheikki E (1994)
Toxic equivalency factors for dioxin-like PCBs: report on a
WHO-ECEH and IPCS consultation, December 1993.
Chemosphere 28: 1049-1067
Corsolini S, Focardi S, Kurunthachalam K, Tanabe S, Borrell A,
Tatsukawa R (1995) Congener profile and toxicity assessment of polycblorinated biphenyls in dolphins, sharks and
tuna collected from Italian coastal waters. Mar Environ Res
40(1): 33-53
Gergakopoulos-Gregoriades E, Vassilopoulou V, Stergiou KI
(1991) Multivariate analysis of organochlorines in red mullet from Greek waters. Mar Pollut Bull 22(5): 237-241
Giordani P, Miserocchi S, Balboni V. Malaguti A, Lorenzelli R,
Honsell G, Poniz P (1997) Factors controlling trophic conditions in the North-West Adriatic basin: seasonal variability.
Mar Chern 58: 351-360
HeDou J, Warren WG, Payne IF (1993) Organochlorines including
polychlorinated biphenyls in muscle, liver and ovaries of
cod, Gadus morhua. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 25: 497505
Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) of the Oslo and Paris Commission
(1992) A compilation of standards and guidance values for
contaminants in fish crustaceans and mollusc for the assessment of possible hazards to human health. JMG 17/3/10E
Lech n. Bend JR (1980) Relationship between biotransformation
and the toxicity and fate of xenobiotic chemicals in fish.
Environ Health Perspect 34: 115-131
Porte C,Albaiges J (1993) Bioaccumulation patterns of hydro carbons and polychlorinated byphenyls in bivalves, crustaceans
and fishes. Arch Environ Contam Toxico126: 273-281
Safe S (1990) Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and related compounds: environmental and mechanistic considerations that
support the development of toxic equivalency factors. Crit
Rev Toxico121: 51-88
Safe S (1993) Development of bioassay and approaches for the
risk assessment of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and
related compounds. Environ Health Perspect Suppll01: 317325
Varanasi U, Stein JE, Reichert WL, Tilbury n, Krhan MM, Chan
SL (1993) Chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons in bottom sediments, fish and marine mammals in US coastal
waters: Laboratory and field studies of metabolism and
accumulation. In: Walker CH, Livingstone DR (eds)
Persistent pollutants in marine ecosystems. Pergamon Press,
Oxford, pp 83-115
Wakimoto T, Tatsukawa R, Ogawa T (1971) Analytical methods of
PCBs (in Japanese). J Enviro Pollut Contam 7; 517-522
I. Corsi et al.
referred to salmon coming from the Great Lakes,
a widely polluted area, were 46.8 for mono-artha
and 8.3 for di -artho which highly exceed ours.
Moreover, in comparing our values with
those reported for Thunnus thynnus thynnus
from the Tyrrhenian Sea (Corsolini et al. 1995)
which are 128.55-69.4 for mono-artha and 8.334.63 for di-ortho in muscle and liver respectively.
our data are much lower. Thus the Adriatic
species studied by us do not indicate a potential
risk in terms of human fish consumption according to this finding.
In this respect, the approach reported by the
JMG guidelines (1992) indicates a threshold of
the "upper" range of 5000 ng g-l for polychlorobiphenyl levels in fish tissue that is extremely
high compared to our data. Therefore muscle fillets are presumably not a dangerous source of
organochlorines for the fish consumer in the
Adriatic basin. at least not the muscle fillets of
the species monitored in this study.
Although our results do not allow us to
defme the Adriatic Sea as a sink of pollution, the
presence of detectable levels of these contaminants evidence the necessity to continue monitoring of them until they are completely eliminated.
Acknowledgements. This research was funded by the Italian
National Research Council (CNR) as a part of a research programme called PRISMA 2 for the safeguard of the Adriatic
Sea.
References
Ahlborg UG, Becking GC, Birnbaum L5, Brouwer A, Derks HJGM,
Feeley M, Golor G, Hanberg A, Larsen IC, Liem AKD, Safe
SH, Schlatter C, Waern F, Younes M, Yrjanheikki E (1994)
Toxic equivalency factors for dioxin-like PCBs: report on a
WHO-ECEH and IPCS consultation, December 1993.
Chemosphere 28: 1049-1067
Corsolini S, Focardi S, Kurunthachalam K, Tanabe S, Borrell A,
Tatsukawa R (1995) Congener profile and toxicity assessment of polycblorinated biphenyls in dolphins, sharks and
tuna collected from Italian coastal waters. Mar Environ Res
40(1): 33-53
Gergakopoulos-Gregoriades E, Vassilopoulou V, Stergiou KI
(1991) Multivariate analysis of organochlorines in red mullet from Greek waters. Mar Pollut Bull 22(5): 237-241
Giordani P, Miserocchi S, Balboni V. Malaguti A, Lorenzelli R,
Honsell G, Poniz P (1997) Factors controlling trophic conditions in the North-West Adriatic basin: seasonal variability.
Mar Chern 58: 351-360
HeDou J, Warren WG, Payne IF (1993) Organochlorines including
polychlorinated biphenyls in muscle, liver and ovaries of
cod, Gadus morhua. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 25: 497505
Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) of the Oslo and Paris Commission
(1992) A compilation of standards and guidance values for
contaminants in fish crustaceans and mollusc for the assessment of possible hazards to human health. JMG 17/3/10E
Lech n. Bend JR (1980) Relationship between biotransformation
and the toxicity and fate of xenobiotic chemicals in fish.
Environ Health Perspect 34: 115-131
Porte C,Albaiges J (1993) Bioaccumulation patterns of hydro carbons and polychlorinated byphenyls in bivalves, crustaceans
and fishes. Arch Environ Contam Toxico126: 273-281
Safe S (1990) Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and related compounds: environmental and mechanistic considerations that
support the development of toxic equivalency factors. Crit
Rev Toxico121: 51-88
Safe S (1993) Development of bioassay and approaches for the
risk assessment of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and
related compounds. Environ Health Perspect Suppll01: 317325
Varanasi U, Stein JE, Reichert WL, Tilbury n, Krhan MM, Chan
SL (1993) Chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons in bottom sediments, fish and marine mammals in US coastal
waters: Laboratory and field studies of metabolism and
accumulation. In: Walker CH, Livingstone DR (eds)
Persistent pollutants in marine ecosystems. Pergamon Press,
Oxford, pp 83-115
Wakimoto T, Tatsukawa R, Ogawa T (1971) Analytical methods of
PCBs (in Japanese). J Enviro Pollut Contam 7; 517-522