engleski

LONG-TERM MONITORING (1972-2006) OF PCBs AND DDTs IN MUSSELS FROM THE EASTERN ADRIATIC COASTAL WATERS

The Adriatic Sea is an elongated basin (139 000 km2) of the northern Mediterranean, extending for 800 km into the heartland of the European continent. Croatian coastal karst region warrants particular attention because of its high ecological sensitivity and the unfortunate unscrupulous destruction during the warfare of 1991– 19951. . Bioaccumulation of chemicals in biota may be a prerequisite for adverse effects on ecosystems. Mussels have been used in many parts of the world as indicator organisms because of their ability to sequester lipophilic contaminants such as PCBs and DDTs.. The aim of this paper is to describe the levels and trends of DDT's and PCBs in mussels collected from the Adriatic eastern coastal waters monitored over a thirty years period. All these samples were analyzed from a single analytical group (mostly by the same analyst), using a uniform methodology which was successfully intercalibrated during numerous international intercalibration exercises, where for detection of pollutants ECD gas chromatography were used with packet and/or capillary columns . As is seen from global report of UN, UNEP, G.E.F. Regionally Based Assessment of Persistent Toxic Substances5, such a long term monitoring of persistent organic toxicants are very scarce and for mussels practically unique all over the World.

PCB; DDT; Adriatic sea; mussels; long term monitoring

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