PCDDs/PCDFs, coplanar PCBs and PCBs in barn owl eggs from different areas in the state of Brandenburg, Germany

Barn owl eggs were collected from different areas of Brandenburg, Germany, and concentrations of PCDDs, PCDFs, coplanar PCBs, and PCBs were measured. The major PCDD contaminants were 1,2,3,7,8-pentaCDD and TCDD, while the major PCDF congener detected was 2,3,4,7,8-pentaCDF. Among the coplanar PCBs, congener 126 was the most concentrated. The extensive concentration data are tabulated. Analysis of barn owl pellets from the respective nests indicated that the main prey species at all locations were the vole rat and the common vole. At all locations, PCB congeners 77, 126, and 169 accounted for more than half of the calculated toxic equivalent values.