Pesticide Residues in Fish - Pesticides: Evaluation of Environmental Pollution - page 370

TABLE 13.3
Mean Concentration of Organochlorine Pesticides in the Gonads and Muscles of Fish from the
River Course of Oder River

Concentration (ng/g ww)

Roach, Rutilus rutilus Bream, Abramis brama Ide, Leuciscus idus

Pesticides Gonads Muscles Gonads Muscles Gonads Muscles

α-HCH 0.38 ± 0.17 0.21 ± 0.13 0.42 ± 0.15 0.12 ± 0.09 0.54 ± 0.15 0.33 ± 0.11

β-HCH 0.51 ± 0.14 0.44 ± 0.12 0.64 ± 0.13 0.38 ± 0.08 0.24 ± 0.20 0.13 ± 0.10

γ-HCH 0.75 ± 0.24 0.34 ± 0.15 0.83 ± 0.11 0.32 ± 0.04 0.82 ± 0.04 0.41 ± 0.08

Heptachlor nd nd 0.15 ± 0.11 nd 0.14 ± 0.04 nd

Heptachlor
epoxide

0.12 ± 0.09 nd 0.15 ± 0.03 nd nd nd

Aldrin 0.15 ± 0.03 nd 0.22 ± 0.09 0.15 ± 0.03 0.36 ± 0.08 0.31 ± 0.10
Dieldrin 0.52 ± 0.09 0.16 ± 0.04 0.58 ± 0.08 0.23 ± 0.09 0.48 ± 0.09 0.15 ± 0.03
Endrin 0.38 ± 0.16 0.20 ± 0.11 0.60 ± 0.24 0.20 ± 0.09 0.68 ± 0.22 0.52 ± 0.21
Source: From Tomza-Marciniak, A. and Witczak, A. 2010. Distribution of endocrine-disrupting pesticides in
water and fish from the Oder River, Poland. Acta Ichthyol. Piscatoria 40(1): 1-9.
nd, not detected.

for endrin. Concentrations of the studied compounds in the water taken from the Oder
River followed the order: endrin > γ-HCH > α-HCH > dieldrin > β-HCH > heptachlor ≈
aldrin > heptachlor epoxide. The highest log BCF (Bioaccumulation Concentration Factor)
was obtained for fish gonads and ranged from 1.5 (endrin) to 3.4 (heptachlor epoxide).
The estimated daily intake (EDI) varied from 0.0014% to 0.097% of the acceptable daily
intake (ADI). Although concentrations of the compounds in the muscle were lower than
reported by Kannan et al. (1995), Yim et al. (2005), Sun et al. (2006), and Hinck et al. (2008),
the fact that the most toxic pesticides occurred in the highest concentrations seems to be
alarming. Endrin is highly toxic to all animals, especially fish and other aquatic biota
(Anonymous 1991a,b), while β-HCH is the most toxic isomer of hexachlorocyclohexane
(Anonymous 2006). The muscle levels of γ-HCH and dieldrin were significantly lower
(p ≤ 0.05) than the gonad levels. Similar relationships for these two compounds were
reported by Sapozhnikova et al. (2005). In another study, concentrations of γ-HCH and
dieldrin in fish muscles ranged from 0.318 to 0.411 ng/g ww and from 0.146 to 0.234 ng/g
ww, respectively. Protasowicki et al. (2007) reported higher levels of these pesticides in
the muscles of roach and bream harvested from the lower Oder River in the years 1996-
2000. Ciereszko and Witczak (2002) also found higher γ-HCH content in the muscles of
roach and bream from the Szczecin Lagoon, which averaged within 1.9-0.4 and 2.0-0.3
ng/g ww, respectively.
According to Sun et al. (2006), dieldrin residue levels in fishery products in the years
2001-2003 varied widely from 0.63 to 30.68 ng/g. In contrast, Hinck et al. (2008) reported
lower levels of the pesticides in fish from the Savannah River and Pee Dee River (USA)
that averaged at 3.2 and 1.73 ng/g ww, respectively. In a study, heptachlor and heptachlor
epoxide residues were found in 67% of all gonad samples. None of these two pesticides
was found in the muscles of the examined fish. Hinck et al. (2008) reported that heptachlor
epoxide residues in the muscles of largemouth bass and common carp from the Savannah
River averaged 0.26-0.06 ng/g ww and 0.36-0.07 ng/g ww, respectively, and in fish from
the Pee Dee River, its levels were nearly twice as high. Worth noticing is that intersex
gonads were identified in 42% of male bass (Hinck et al. 2008) due to exposure to potential