Tissues from juvenile loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Kemp's ridley (
Lepidochelys kempi) turtles stranded in Virginia and North Carolina we
re analyzed by capillary gas chromatography to determine concentration
s of organochlorine pollutants. The predominant organochlorines were p
olychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and its breakdown products, DDE a
nd DDD. Organochlorine concentrations were related to tissue type and
relative lipid content, Subcutaneous fat had the highest lipid content
(mean = 49.3% wet mass, SD = 19.1) and organochlorine concentrations
(mean = 252 mu g/kg, SD = 196), followed by liver, kidney, and pectora
l muscle, Subsequent analyses of subcutaneous fat and liver from Atlan
tic loggerheads and Kemp's ridleys yielded a range of organochlorine c
ontaminant concentrations of 55.4-1730 mu g/kg and 7.46-607 mu g/kg, r
espectively. Five congener groups accounted for a mean of 66.0% of the
total PCBs in the liver (SD = 15.9). A similar pattern was seen in th
e subcutaneous fat. Congener #153/132 (IUPAC nomenclature) was the maj
or congener group present, followed by #138/158, #180, #118, and #187.
Selected sea turtle tissues were extracted using a modified Bligh and
Dyer procedure, and lipid classes were examined. Subcutaneous fat con
tained the highest proportion of triglycerides, followed by liver and
pectoral muscle. This pattern corresponds to the pattern of organochlo
rine accumulation.