Post-mortem stability of blubber DLCs, PCB and tDDT in by-caught harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

摘要

Organochlorine compounds are synthetic chemicals that, since the 1960s, have become ubiquitous pollutants in marine environments. They were first introduced in the 1930s but it was not until the 1950-1970s when they enjoyed extensive use. After that period, when they were identified as hazardous substances, their use began to be discontinued. Some forms had relatively short half-lives and rapidly disappeared from the environment, but DDTs (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and DLCs (dioxin-like compounds, such as 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxins and ben-zofurans as well as non-substituted and mono-ortho-substi tuted PCBs) proved to be very persistent and remained at measurable concentrations in the environment (Voldner and Yi-Fan, 1995). Similarly to other organochlorine compounds, these compounds bioaccumulate in adipose tissues of organisms and biomagnify through food webs, leading to relatively elevated concentrations in species located at the highest trophic levels.