ORGANOCHLORINES INCLUDING POLYCHLORINATED-BIPHENYLS IN MUSCLE, LIVER,AND OVARIES OF COD, GADUS-MORHUA

Twenty-three specific organochlorine contaminants and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), measured as three Aroclor(R) standards were analyzed in muscle, liver, and ovaries of cod, Gadus morhua, collected in the Northwest Atlantic. In general, contaminants were undetectable in musc le tissue, while concentrations were 10 times lower in ovaries than li ver (wet weight). Comparison of results to other locations indicated a similarity between the ratio of the concentrations of p,p'-DDE, p,p'- DDD and p,p'-DDT, in liver of cod from the northern North Sea and from the Northwest Atlantic, although with lower levels in the present stu dy. The ratio of alpha-HCH and gamma-HCH was between that of the centr al and northern North Sea. Similar ratios tend to indicate similar res idence times in the atmosphere, from source to sampling area. Comparis on of SIGMAPCB and SIGMADDT in the liver of cod from various geographi cal locations showed the following general trend in concentrations: Ar ctic, Northwest Atlantic, West Atlantic, Norway < North Baltic, Nova S cotia, North Sea < South Baltic. It was observed that if the liver con centration of one compound was low (high), there was a tendency for al l compounds to be low (high). Cluster analysis of organochlorines in l iver pointed to the presence of four basic clusters, which could refle ct similar physical chemical properties within a group. Concentrations of organochlorines in ovaries were below levels expected to affect eg g and larval viability.