ORGANOCHLORINE COMPOUNDS IN BLUBBER, LIVER AND BRAIN IN NEONATAL GREYSEAL PUPS

The present study focuses on the distribution and accumulation of pers istent organochlorine compounds in different tissues and organs of gre y seal (Halichoerus grypus) pups. Thus, levels of drins (aldrin, dield rin, endrin), chlordanes (heptachlor, heptachlorepoxide, oxychlordane, transnonachlor), DDTs (p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDD, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-D DT) and 22 PCB congeners were determined in samples of brain, fat, and liver of 0 - 10 days old grey seal pups from the species' main breedi ng site in Norway. Whereas 10 different compounds were detected in the blubber, 8 compounds were detected in the liver. The concentrations o f the two major classes of OCs (PCBs and DDTs) in-liver were both abou t 75% of that in blubber. In cerebral tissue, only two PCB congeners w ere detected, and Sigma PCB was only about 1% of that measured in the blubber. The distribution pattern of PCB-congeners in liver and brain differed significantly from that in blood and blubber tissue, indicati ng that the physico-chemical properties of the individual congeners an d the lipid composition of the tissues are decisive for the tissue-spe cific pattern of congener distribution. A significant increase of the Sigma DDT/Sigma PCB-ratio as a function of blubber thickness indicates that DDT compounds are more readily accumulated in older pups. Copyri ght (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd