Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in freshwater mussels and fish from Flanders, Belgium

The levels and distribution of PBDEs in zebra mussels and several freshwater fish species (eel, carp and gibel carp) were investigated for different sites in Flanders, Belgium. In parallel, other organohalogenated contaminants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), p,p[prime or minute]-DDE and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were also measured and their relationship with PBDEs was investigated. At most sites, individual PBDE congeners were present at detectable levels in mussel tissue, with the mean [summation operator]PBDE concentration ranging from 0.15 to 1.8 ng g(-1) wet weight (ww). The PCB concentrations in mussels ranged from 6.2 to 102 ng g(-1) ww. HCB and p,p[prime or minute]-DDE could be measured in mussels from most sites, mean values ranging from below the limit of quantification (LOQ) to 0.58 ng g(-1) ww and from 0.66 to 6.5 ng g(-1) ww, respectively. Except for one site (Blokkersdijk, Antwerp) where PBDEs were below the LOQ in carp muscle, all fish samples from other sites contained detectable PBDE levels, with the highest concentrations (14 +/- 14 ng g(-1) ww) being measured in eel liver from Watersportbaan (Ghent). The sampled sites covered a broad concentration range of organohalogenated pollutants with the highest values being consistently measured in eel liver. With few exceptions, all correlations between PBDEs and organochlorine pollutants for each species were low (r < 0.50) and most were statistically not significant (p > 0.05). This suggests that the exposure to contaminants arises from local sources possessing different signatures of PBDEs and organochlorine pollutants.