Organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, dibenzodioxin, and furan concentrations in common snapping turtle eggs (Chelydra seppentina serpentina) in Akwesasne, Mohawk territory, Ontario, Canada

Subsamples of eight clutches of common snapping turtle eggs (Chelydra serpe ntina serpentina) were collected from four sites from the territory of the Mohawk Nation, Akwesasne, on the shore of the St. Lawrence River. Egg conte nts were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dibenzodioxins, and furans. The Sites Were 2 to 13 km downstream fr om PCB-contaminated landfill sites. Maximum concentrations of total PCBs in snapping turtle clutches were extremely high, and ranged from 2 378.2 ng/g to 737 683 ng/g (wet weight) and are among the highest recorded in any tis sue of a free-ranging animal. Similarly,:in a pooled sample of eggs from al l four sites, the summed concentrations of non-ortho PCBs (n = 6 congeners) was also very high at 54.54 ng/g and the summed dioxin and furan concentra tions (n = 11 congeners) was 85.8 ng/g. Sum organochlorine pesticide levels varied from 28 to 2,264 ng/g among-the four sites. The levels of PCBs foun d in turtle eggs exceed concentrations associated with developmental proble ms and reduced hatching success in snapping turtles and other species and a lso exceed the Canadian tissue residue guidelines for toxic equivalency con centrations. The extremely high levels of organochlorine contaminants demon strate the high degree of contamination in the environment in the Akwesasne area.