Polychlorinated biphenyl congener distributions in burbot: Evidence for a latitude effect. (9th September 2014) - Stapanian, Martin A.
Abstract The authors compared the distributions of the congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) detected in whole‐body samples of burbot (Lota lota) from Great Slave Lake and Lake Erie. Total PCB concentrations in Great Slave Lake burbot were about one‐sixtieth of the concentrations in Lake Erie burbot. Burbot from Great Slave Lake contained a higher proportion of lower‐chlorinated (2–6 chlorines) congeners than did burbot from Lake Erie; the reverse occurred for more highly chlorinated (7–9 chlorines) congeners. Hexachloro congeners, followed by pentachloro congeners, dominated the proportions of total PCBs in burbot from both lakes. There were no differences between sexes in whole‐body samples or between gonad and somatic tissues in the proportions of the 39 congeners and 3 sets of coeluters detected in burbot from Great Slave Lake. In contrast, there were distinct sex differences in congener distributions for older burbot from Lake Erie. The results generally supported a prediction of higher proportions of lower‐chlorinated PCB homologs in organisms in remote polar areas. However, the latitudinal effect on PCB congener distribution may be more complex than that portrayed in previous studies. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:2448–2454. © 2014 SETAC