Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Organochlorine Compounds in Blue Mussels, Mytilus edulis, and Pacific Oysters, Crassostrea gigas, from Seven Sites in the Lower Saxonian Wadden Sea, Southern North Sea

  • Published:
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) collected at seven locations in the Lower Saxonian Wadden Sea in January and February 2007 were analysed for organochlorine compounds. Contaminants were present in all samples, albeit with variable amounts and composition. The highest values were found in the Jade Bay. Congener PCB 153 was the contaminant which had the highest content of all organochlorines tested (475.75–937.39 ng/g lipid). DDT was detected in one sample only while DDD and DDE were found in all samples, the latter with contents up to 351.34 ng/g lipid. No clear differentiation could be made in terms of accumulation of organochlorines for M. edulis and C. gigas. Comparison with data from 2001 to 2006 showed an increase in 2007, which may be due to the different season the samples were taken.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Excel, Microsoft Office 2000.

References

  • Baršienė J, Lehtonen KK, Koehler A, Broeg K, Vuorinen PJ, Lang T, Pempkowiak J, Šyvokienė J, Dedonyte V, Rybakowas A, Repečka R, Vuontisjärvi H, Kopecka J (2006) Biomarker response in flounder (Platichthys flesus) and mussel (Mytilus edulis) in the Klaipėda-Būtingė area (Baltic Sea). Mar Pollut Bull 53:422–436

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beard M, Marshall S, Jong K, Newto R, McBride TT, Humphries B, Bronks R (2000) 1,1,1-Trichloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)-ethane (DDT) and reduced bone mineral density. Arch Environ Health 55(3):177–180

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cheevaporn V, Duangkaew K, Tangkrock-Olan N (2005) Environmental occurrence of organochlorines in the East Coast of Thailand. J Health Sci 51:80–88

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Damm U, Neudecker T (2006) Zweikampf im Wattenmeer. Wird die heimische Miesmuschel verdrängt? Inf. Fischereiforsch 53:46–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Deslous-Paoli J-M, Héral M (1988) Biochemical composition and energy value of Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg) cultured in the bay of Marennes-Oléron. Aquat Living Resour 1:239–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeVoogt P, Wells DE, Reutergårdh L, Brinkman UATh (1990) Biological activity, determination and occurrence of planar, mono- and di-ortho PCBs. Int J Environ Anal Chem 40:1–46

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gladen BC, Klebanoff MA, Hediger ML, Katz SH, Barr DB, Davis MD, Longnecker MP (2004) Prenatal DDT Exposure in relation to anthropometric and pubertal measures in adolescent males. Environ Health Perspect 112(17):1761

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Götschenberg A, Schlüter V (2005) Monitoring von Baggergut-Verklappungen auf der Klappstelle „Vareler Fahrwasser” im Jadebusen, Zwischen Weser und Ems, Hydrographie-Vermessung mit Tiefgang. In: Beiträge zum 20. Hydrographentag und 64. DVW-Seminar 2005 in Wilhelmshaven, Schriftreihe des DVW, Band 47, Wißmar-Verlag, Augsburg, pp 44–55

  • Gribble GW (1998) Naturally occurring organohalogen compounds. Acc Chem Res 31:141–152

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gribble GW (ed) (2003) Natural production of organohalogen compounds. The handbook of environmental chemistry Part P. Springer, Berlin, p 312

    Google Scholar 

  • Ilyina T (2007) The fate of persistent organic pollutants in the North Sea: multiple year model simulations of γ-HCH, α-HCH and PCB 153. Hambg Stud Marit Aff 7:132

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee CL, Chen HY, Chuang MY (1996) Use of oyster, Crassostrea gigas, and ambient water to assess metal pollution status of the charting coastal area, Taiwan, after the 1986 green oyster incident. Chemosphere 33(12):2505–2532

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Okumura Y, Yamishita Y, Isagawa S (2003) Sources of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (Co-PCBs), and their bioaccumulation through the marine food web in Sendai Bay, Japan. J Environ Monit 5:610–618

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oslo-Paris-Commission (2006) 2005/2006 CEMP Assessment—Trends and concentrations of selected hazardous substances in the marine environment, p 39. http://www.ospar.org

  • Pazikowska G, Szaniawska A (1988) Variations in energy and lipid content of Mytilus edulis from the Gulf of Gdansk. Oceanologia 25:99–107

    Google Scholar 

  • Potrykus J, Albalat A, Pempkowiak J, Porte C (2003) Content and pattern of organic pollutants (PAHs, PCBs and DDT) in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) from the southern Baltic Sea. Oceanologia 45:337–355

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt CW (2001) Of POPs and the river-Environmentalists claimed victory when EPA approved dredging the Hudson River to remove polychlorinated biphenyls. But will the cleanup operations reduce exposure of humans to PCBs or not? Chem Innov 31:48–52

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sheridan PF (1975) Uptake, metabolism and distribution of DDT in organs of the Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus. Chesap Sci 16(1):20–26

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Solé M, Porte C, Barcelo D, Albaiges J (2000) Bivalves residue analysis for the assessment of coastal pollution in the Ebro Delta (NW Mediterranean). Mar Poll Bull 40:746–753

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wehrmann A, Markert A, May P, Schieck P, Schmidt A (2006) Gefährdungspotential der eulitoralen Miesmuschelbänke im Niedersächsischen Wattenmeer durch die Bioinvasion der Pazifischen Auster (Crassostrea gigas). Abschlussbericht Projekt 7/02 der Niedersächsischen Wattenmeer-Stiftung, 110 pp

  • Wintermyer ML, Cooper KR (2003) Dioxin/furan and polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica, Gmelin) tissues and the effect on egg fertilisation and development. J Shellfish Res 22(3):737–746

    Google Scholar 

  • Witczak A, Leszczyńska A (2006) Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener residues in frutti di mare (seafood) products. Acta Sci Pol, Technol Aliment 5(2):117–126

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

We are indebted to the Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Wasser, Küsten und Naturschutz for the permision to use their unpublished data. Uwe Walter, Mytilamar, and Gerald Millat, National Park Administration, provided the 2004 and 2006 samples. Furthermore we would like to thank Ursula Pijanowska and Daniela Brehpohl for beeing a great help performing this research and Dorothea Bender for having the patience reading and correcting this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty 02: Biology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Barbara Dörr

  2. Department of Marine Chemistry, ICBM-Terramare, Wilhelmshaven, Germany

    Gerd Liebezeit

Authors
  1. Barbara Dörr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gerd Liebezeit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Barbara Dörr.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dörr, B., Liebezeit, G. Organochlorine Compounds in Blue Mussels, Mytilus edulis, and Pacific Oysters, Crassostrea gigas, from Seven Sites in the Lower Saxonian Wadden Sea, Southern North Sea. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 83, 874–879 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-009-9825-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-009-9825-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation