Organochlorine compounds in aquatic environments

The body burdens of five organochlorine compounds were determined in several marine fishes and invertebrates from two localities in Norway. DDE, PCBs, and pentachlorobenzene showed uniform levels, especially on a fat weight basis, while hexachlorobenzene and octachlorostyrene were detected at various levels in the different species. The results are discussed with respect to the concept of accumulation through food chains, and passive partition of chemicals between water and the organism's fat. Although the results to some extent support the idea of partition, other factors may have a decisive effect on the levels found in the different species. This is true for the bottom dweller, where magnitude and circumstances of exposure may vary considerably between the different microenvironments.