Spatial differences and temporal trends of organochlorine compounds in biota from the northwestern hemisphere

Organisms of various trophic levels collected from the marine environments of the western North Atlantic, the Arctic Ocean, the Kattegat, the Baltic Sea, and the Gulf of Bothnia were analyzed for the presence of organochlorine compounds. No pronounced geographical differences were found for polychlorinated camphenes (PCCs) when comparing animals from the Arctic with corresponding species in the Baltic, while both PCB and DDT metabolites showed definite spatial differences. The highest concentrations of PCB and DDT metabolites were found in fish predators, including seals and birds, from the Baltic. PCC levels in fish exceeded levels of DDT metabolites and PCBs in the North Atlantic. DDT and PCB levels for all trophic levels were in the 0.14-990 mg/kg fat range, and the corresponding range for PCC was 0.33-17 mg/kg.