Determination of polychlorinated biphenyls in marine fish obtained from tsunami-stricken areas of Japan

PLoS One. 2017 Apr 4;12(4):e0174961. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174961. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

We determined the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in 101 marine fish obtained from tsunami-stricken areas following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. In particular, to determine the degree of PCB contamination in the fish, we investigated the concentration of total PCB (∑PCB) and the proportions of 209 individual PCB congeners by high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry. The ∑PCB concentration was 1.7-33 ng/g in fat greenling (n = 29), 0.44-25 ng/g in flounder (n = 36), and 1.6-86 ng/g in mackerel (n = 36), all values being much lower than the provisional regulatory limit in Japan. In the congener analysis, tetra-, penta-, hexa-, and hepta-chlorinated PCB congeners dominated in all samples (comprising over 86% of the ∑PCB). The proportions of the chlorinated PCB congeners were similar to the contamination patterns derived from Kanechlor in the environment, implying that the marine fish were not contaminated with fresh PCBs.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Aquatic Organisms / metabolism
  • Disasters
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Fishes / metabolism*
  • Food Contamination / analysis*
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
  • Japan
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls / analysis*
  • Tsunamis*
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis

Substances

  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a Health Sciences Research Grant from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare of Japan (http://www.mhlw.go.jp/seisakunitsuite/bunya/hokabunya/kenkyujigyou/hojokin-koubo-h24/gaiyo/25.html, no grant number) to AH and TW. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.