Occurrence, distribution, and levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB), Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p–Dioxins (PCDD), and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans (PCDF) in fish from the Antioquia Region, Colombia

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF), are a class of chemical compounds with high persistence that can accumulate in living organisms, mainly in fatty tissues. In addition, exposure to them can cause a wide variety of health problems and adverse effects on humans and wildlife. Therefore, this work aimed to assess the occurrence, distribution, and levels of PCB, PCDD and PCDF in fish samples from the Antioquia region, Colombia. In total, 90 samples of different fish species were evaluated. The levels of the six indicator PCBs were in a range between 26.6 pg\(\cdot\)g⁻¹ w.w (1.33 ng\(\cdot\)g⁻¹ fat) and 4550 pg\(\cdot\)g⁻¹ w.w (236.0 ng⋅g⁻¹ fat), the mean value was 395 pg\(\cdot\)g⁻¹ w.w (16.7 ng⋅g⁻¹ fat) and the median was 186 pg\(\cdot\)g⁻¹ w.w (8.24 ng⋅g⁻¹ fat). The levels of dioxin-like PCBs were between 3.09 pg\(\cdot\)g⁻¹ w.w (0.135 ng⋅g⁻¹ fat) and 567 pg\(\cdot\)g⁻¹ w.w (33.9 ng⋅g⁻¹ fat), the mean value was 47.2 pg\(\cdot\)g⁻¹ w.w (2.30 ng⋅g⁻¹ fat) and the median was 15.5 pg\(\cdot\)g⁻¹ w.w (0.811 ng⋅g⁻¹ fat). The mean and median of the PCB toxic equivalent values were 46.6 fg\(\cdot\)TEQ\(\cdot\)g⁻¹ w.w and 12.0 fg\(\cdot\)TEQ\(\cdot\)g⁻¹ w.w, respectively. In all cases, PCDD/PCDF were below the analytical method quantification limits. In summary, PCB and PCDD/PCDF levels in selected fish corresponded to background levels and no hot spots were observed. Finally, this study provided an overview of the current situation regarding the presence of these types of pollutants in the region, which could support future research.

Graphical abstract