|
(37-07) Persistent organic pollutants in fish from Alpine and Arctic lakes. Vives, Ingrid*,1, Grimalt, Joan1, 1 Department of Environmental Chemistry (ICER-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona, Spain ABSTRACT- Remote areas, such as high mountain and arctic lakes, are significantly influenced by long range transported persistent organic pollutants (POP). The lake ecosystems in these regions are generally vulnerable to environmental changes, since they are also exposed to chemical and physical extreme conditions. In these lakes fish are the top trophic level organisms and therefore ideal organisms for the monitoring of the impact of these pollutants in these remote ecosystems. Fish were collected in lakes from Greenland, Norway, Scottish Highlands, Slovakian Tatras, Austrian Alps, Bulgarian Rila Mountains and Catalonian Pyrenees, all of them located above tree line and oligotrophic. Liver and muscle tissue have been analysed for polychlorinated biphenyls (7 individual congeners), organochlorine pesticides (pp-DDE, pp-DDT, Key words: fish, POPs, Arctic, Alpine lake |
-HCH, 
-HCH, and HCB) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16 parent PAHs). The highest PCBs, DDTs and PAH concentrations were found in the Tatras (35 ng/g ww, 55 ng/g ww and 62 ng/g ww in liver, respectively). Good correlation was found between levels in liver and muscle. The differences of POP levels are evaluated in terms of geographical location (altitude, longitude and latitude) and meteorological parameters. Biological parameters, such as age and sex, are also considered to explain the variability of POP concentrations in the fish populations.