Fish Contaminant Concentrations: Results 



Data were produced for individual chlorinated organic compounds in the livers of the 

 fish (normalized to wet weight in Appendix D, normalized to lipid weight in Appendix E). 

 Mean values for sums of the six DDT/DDD/DDE isomers, many pesticides 

 (hexachlorobenzene, lindane, heptachlor, aldrin, heptachlor epoxide, chlordane, 

 transnonachlor, dieldrin, mirex), and tPCBs (based upon sums of the estimated concentrations 

 of Aroclors 1242, 1254, and 1260) are listed in Table 33. The estimates of Aroclor 

 concentrations are based upon the concentrations of only one IUPAC congener each, and, 

 therefore, may not be very accurate estimates. Lipid content of the SC fish was about one- 

 half that of fish from the other sites. Normalized to lipid content, the mean tDDT 

 concentration was highest in fish from the OK, SC, VJ, and BK sites. Total pesticide 

 concentrations, especially dieldrin in two fish, were highest in SC fish and considerably 

 lower and relatively similar among fish from the other sites. Total PCB concentrations were 

 highest in BK and OK fish. PCB concentrations were lowest in SP, RR, and VJ fish. 



Of the 74 fish analyzed, 13 had total PCB concentrations that exceeded 10 M-g/g lipid 

 weight; all but one were from the BK and OK site (Appendix E). One of those fish from OK 

 also had the highest concentrations of chlordane, transnonachlor, mirex, p,p-DDE, and tDDT 

 of all the fish. One fish from RR had the highest dieldrin concentration (1.53 |ig/g lipid 

 weight) of all the fish. One fish each from the BK and OK sites had about 30 |ig/g lipid 

 weight tPCB concentrations, roughly three times higher than the site means. 



Table 33. Summary of contaminant data for Platichthys stellatus liver tissue from six sites 

 (mean ± SD). 



Site u g / g lipid weig ht 



g lipid/g liver Total DDT Total Pesticides 3 Total PCBs b 



Berkeley (n = 14) 0.17 ± 0.08 1.28 ± 0.8 0.45 ± 0.2 9.68 ± 7.7 



Oakland (n = 15) 0.14 ± 0.07 1.68 ± 1.7 0.69 ± 0.5 12.48 ± 8.8 



Russian River (n = 14) 0.13 ± 0.06 0.92 ± 0.9 0.44 ± 0.5 3.50 ± 2.9 



Santa Cruz (n = 4) 0.07 ± 0.03 1.63 ±0.9 1.77 ±1.6 6.09±3.0 



San Pablo Bay (n = 14) 0.18 ± 0.04 0.92 ± 0.4 0.39 ± 0.2 1.68 ± 1.5 



Vallejo (n = 14) 0.14 ± 0.05 1.37 ±1.2 0.36 ±0.1 3.45 ± 3.6 



a Sum of concentrations of lindane, heptachlor, aldrin, heptachlor epoxide, chlordane, 

 transnonachlor, dieldrin, and mirex. 



b Sum of estimated concentrations of Aroclors 1242, 1254, and 1260. 



Table 34 summarizes the results of an analysis of variance of the chemical data from 

 five sampling sites. Although o,p-DDT concentrations were higher at OK than at all other 

 sites and p,p-DDD concentrations were higher in BK, OK and SP fish than in RR fish, there 

 were no significant differences between sites in p,p-DDT, p,p-DDE or in the sum of resolved 

 forms of DDT-type compounds (Table 34). No single DDT isomer accounted for the majority 

 of the variation in the DDT concentration, according to Principal Components Analysis. 



Fish from either OK or BK generally had the highest concentrations of many of the 

 pesticides that were quantified (Table 34). Although the lowest concentrations of lindane 

 were in fish from RR, the highest concentrations of heptachlor epoxide were found in those 

 fish. No significant site differences were found in heptachlor or dieldrin concentrations. 

 Aldrin, tDDT, transnonachlor and mirex accounted for 50 percent of the variation among 

 pesticides. 



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