Tissue distribution of Dechlorane Plus and its dechlorinated analogs in contaminated fish: high affinity to the brain...

Information on tissue distribution of Dechlorane Plus (DP) and its dechlorinated analogs in wildlife is scarce. DP isomers and two dechlorinated compounds, anti-Cl(11)-DP and anti-Cl(10)-DP, were examined in the muscle, liver, and brain tissues of two bottom fish species collected from an electronic waste recycling site, South China. The median levels of syn-, anti-, and anti-Cl(11)-DP isomers in the tissues ranged 0.18-39.1, 0.22-52.9, and 0.01-5.63 ng/g wet wt, respectively. Anti-Cl(10)-DP was only detected in one muscle sample of mud carp (0.01 ng/g wet wt), although it was consistently detected in the sediments (0.42-0.83 ng/g dry wt). Preferential distribution in liver relative to muscle was observed for syn-DP and anti-Cl(11)-DP. However, a high persistent retention in the brain compared to the liver was observed for anti-DP, suggesting that this isomer can across the blood-brain barrier of fish, and may cause adverse effects to the nervous system in the exposed biota.