Organohalogen substances in muscle, egg and blood from healthy Baltic salmon (Salmo salar) and Baltic salmon that produced offspring with the M74 syndrome

Muscle, egg and blood samples from female sea-run Baltic salmon from the ri ver Dalalven were analyzed for neutral and phenol-type organohalogen substa nces (OHS) to determine their potential associations to the M74 syndrome of wild Baltic salmon. No differences in the concentrations of DDT and relate d compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethe rs (PBDEs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), or methoxylated brominated diphenyl et hers (MeO-PBDEs) in healthy salmon compared to salmon that produced offspri ng with M74 were observed. A large number of phenol-type compounds (> 100), such as polyhalogenated (brominated and/or chlorinated) phenols, polychlor obiphenylols (OH-PCBs) and OH-PBDEs were identified or indicated. High bloo d concentrations of Pentachlorophenol (PCP) were found in both healthy salm on and in salmon that produced offspring with M74. Both hydroxylated and me thoxylated PBDEs, in concentrations similar to the PBDE congeners, were fou nd. 2(2',4'-dibromophenoxy)-4,6-dibromoanisol and the corresponding phenol were identified in the salmon samples. During the spawning period different concentration ratios of the OHS were indicated between muscle, egg, and bl ood plasma lipids depending on the individual OHS. No differences in OHS co ncentrations were observed between healthy salmon and salmon that produced offspring with M74. Consequently, the data do not support the theory that t he M74 disease is induced by OHS. However, the relation between the disease and phenol type OHS must be further considered since the data available on levels of these compounds are still limited.