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(446) Organic contaminants in the Western Mediterranean: An Ecotoxicological Perspective. Albaiges, J.1, Bayona, J.M.1, Dachs, J.1, Porte, C.1, Tolosa, I.1, 1 ABSTRACT- The Mediterranean Sea receives a variety of land-based organic pollutants, from point and non-point sources, which enter the marine environment mainly through rivers and urban effluents, as well as through the atmosphere. Improvements in analytical methodologies and field sampling techniques have contributed to the discovery of new tracers of organic pollution into the coastal zones, as well as to a better understanding of the transport and fate of these pollutants in the basin. The studied pollutants include petrogenic and pyrogenic hydrocarbons and their S- and N-derivatives, surfactant derivatives, pesticides and a myriad of synthetic products of which the most stable (e.g. PCBs) are found everywhere. Field studies in the Western Mediterranean have included a large survey of sediments and fish throughout the whole basin, from the coast to the open regions, and from the surface to the deep sea. This has enabled the recognition of the importance of scavenging processes of chemicals in the coastal areas and selective transport and degradation processes to the deep basin. The occurrence of xenobiotics in the different marine compartments deserves also some attention from the ecotoxicological point of view, because they may constitute a particular threat for marine biota. The determination of chemical and biochemical markers in a variety of fish species from the region has given rise to a comprehensive picture of the chronic (sublethal) effects of the organic pollution. In conclusion, new strategies for marine environmental protection and management of the Mediterranean basin can be developed, which integrate relevant aspects of past approaches in pollution monitoring (toxicty, bioaccumulation and persistence of pollutants), improved understanding of biogeochemical cycles, mass balances and other factors related with potential exposure. Key words: Mediterreanean, organic pollutants, biomarkers, sediments |
