Baltic Sea, fish

Sjodin A, Hagmar L, Klasson-Wehler E, et al. 2000. Influence of the consumption of fatty Baltic Sea fish on plasma levels of halogenated environmental contaminants in Latvian and Swedish men. Environ Health Perspect 108 1035-1041. 

Environmental levels of PCDEs have not been intensively studied like those of PCBs or PCDDs and PCDFs due to fact that model substances of PCDEs have not been commercially available until recently. Therefore, PCDEs have not been routinely monitored in any aquatic environment. Most data on PCDEs obtained using 17 or more PCDE standards are from Great Lakes fish [119] and from fish and sediment from a Finnish river, the Kymijoki River, [33,58,114]. Baltic Sea fish, birds, and seals have also been studied for PCDEs [113,124,139]. 

Assmuth, T, Jalonen, P. 2005. Risks and management of dioxin-like compounds in Baltic Sea Fish An... 

Damerud, P. O., Aune, M., Becker, W., Bjersehus, E. A., Glynn, A., 2003. Swedish consumption of fatty Baltic Sea fish in relation to the total dioxin intake and the recommended TDI. Organohalogen Compounds, 62, 183. 

A comparison of 23 Swedish males with a high consumption of Baltic Sea fish and 20 men with virtually no fish consumption showed no statistically significant differences in serum levels of AST, ALT, GGT, AP, or bilirubin (Svensson et al. 1994). The fisheaters had elevated blood levels of PCBs and other organochlorines, as well as increased erythrocyte levels of methylmercury. 

Stodolnik, L., Podeszewski, Z., and Otto, B., 1971, Lipids in industrial Baltic sea fish. III. Lipid fractions of fish muscle tissue stored under ice, Bromat. Chem. ToksykoL, 7(3), 393, (in Polish). 

Differences are also shown by chemical analyses. Results from a Danish laboratory [4] are summarized in Table 6. In this case, an undesired catch in Baltic Sea fishing was identified as Zahlost of the Z-OA type (see Table 3). Inside the Z lost lumps was more than 40% of active mustard agent, after some four decades of submersion, but in the "skin" was only about 0.1%. 

In another study conducted during 1983-85, fish from the Baltic Sea were found to contain 0.003-0.029 pg/kg of 2,3,7,8-TCDD (Rappe et al. 1987). 

Falandysz, J., Strandberg, L., Bergqvist, P.-A., Strandberg, B., Rappe, C. (1997) Spatial distribution and bioaccumulation of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCN) in mussel and fish from the Gulf of Gdansk, Baltic Sea. Sci. Total Environ. 203, 93-104. 

Baltic Sea with concentrations up to 116 ng/g lw. The BDE-209 levels in fish reported here are on average higher than those reported elsewhere. 

Three females found dead in fishing nets Baltic Sea, 1989-90... 

Great Lakes (Schmitt et al. 1983). Between 1976 and 1984, mean toxaphene concentrations in whole fish collected nationwide declined significantly from 0.34 mg/kg FW, maximum 12.7 mg/kg FW in 1976/77 to 0.14 mg/kg FW, maximum 8.2 mg/kg FW, in 1984 (Schmitt et al. 1990). Declines in toxaphene concentrations were also recorded in eggs of the guillemot (Cepphus sp.) population from the Baltic Sea between 1974 and 1989 (Wideqvist et al. 1993) (Table 27.1). 

Radiocesium concentrations in muscle of fishes from the southern Baltic Sea increased 3 to 4 times after Chernobyl (Grzybowska 1989), and 134+137Cs and 106Ru in fishes from the Danube River increased by a factor of 5. However, these levels posed negligible risk to human consumers... 

Freshwater fish 4 species muscle January 1987 134+137Cs Southern Baltic Sea, 134+137Cs pre-Chernobyl (1982-February 1986) vs. post-Chernobyl (June 1986-July 1987)... 

Gray, R.H., R.E. Jaquish, P.J. Mitchell, and W.H. Rickard. 1989. Environmental monitoring at Hanford, Washington, USA a brief site history and summary of recent results. Environ. Manage. 13 563-572. Grzybowska, D. 1989. Concentration of 137Cs and marine fish from the southern Baltic Sea. Acta Hydrobiol. 31 139-147. 

Thyroid Effects. Limited information is available on thyroid effects in PBDE-exposed humans. There are suggestive occupational data as shown by effects that included increased serum FSH, low or borderline low serum T4, and increased thyroid antimicrosomal antibody titers in workers exposed to decaBDE and/or unspecified PBBs. There was no clear association between plasma levels of 2,2, 4,4-tetraBDE and thyroid hormone levels (free and total T3 and T4, TSH, free testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, lutenizing hormone, and prolactin) in men who consumed varying amounts of fatty fish from the Baltic Sea. Based on consistent evidence in animals, as summarized below, the thyroid is particularly sensitive to PBDEs and is a likely target of toxicity in exposed humans. 

In German rivers, elevated levels of nona and octaBBs were present in fish. HexaBB was predominant in fish from the North Sea and Baltic Sea. BB-169 was found at a maximum concentration of 36 mg/kg fat in samples from the Baltic Sea. However, BB-169 was not found in waters from the North Sea or rivers. In Baltic marine fish, the concentrations of BB-153 ranged from 0.2 4.2 mg/kg lipid (deBoer et al 2000a). 

Asplund L, Homung M, Peterson RE, et al. 1999b. Levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in fish from the Great Lakes and Baltic Sea. Organohalogen Compounds 40 351-354. 

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