ORGANOCHLORINE RESIDUES IN THE EDIBLE PART OF EELS OF DIFFERENT ORIGINS

Fifty-four eel samples from 11 different countries were analysed by ca pillary gas chromatography for levels of the pesticides aldrin, endrin , hexachlorobenzene, alpha- and beta-BHC, lindane, heptachlor, octachl orostyrene, pp'-DDT, pp'-DDD, pp'-DDE, and for the levels of the PCB c ongeners 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, and 180. Wild eels, especially from th e Baltic Sea area, had elevated contents compared to farmed eels. The mean contamination level reached only 1-5 % of the allowable values gi ven by German directives and never exceeded the official limits.