Investigation of pesticide residues and some natural radionuclide activity concentrations in mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and some fish samples from İzmir Bay, Turkey

In this study, the activity concentrations of 210Po and 210Pb were determined in mussel samples (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and and fish samples (Mullus barbatus, S.solea, Engraulis encrasicolus, Sardina pilchardus, and Mugil) collected from the Turkish coast of the Aegean Sea. The analyses of environmentally persistent pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Organochlorine pesticides (OCP) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites in surficial fish and mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) samples collected from in İzmir were carried out using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The residues were analyzed with a gas chromatograph and were confirmed with mass spectrometry. As a result of these measurements in all fish samples were found in 4-4'DDE. DDE is the main metabolite of DDT. DDE is a more stable compound. So we can say that DDT was used as pesticides. For fish and mussels, most organochlorine compounds were found to increase with increasing lipid content. The weight of mussels did not influence organochlorine concentrations, whereas organochlorine content in general increased with fish. The median concentrations of the residues in all the samples tested, ranged from 4-4'DDE 0.001 to 0.021 mg kg-1. The highest residue levels of pesticides in the winter period anchovies were found in 4-4'DDE 0.021 mg kg-1. The highest 210Po activity concentrations measured in mussels and fish were 122±26 and 353.7±45 Bq kg-1, while the highest 210Pb concentrations in the same species were 4.2±0.4 Bq kg-1 and 3.6±3.0 Bq kg-1, respectively. The study suggests that the historical organochlorine pesticides pollutants are persistent at high levels in this area and should not be overlooked, while we tackle emerging pollutants.