Persistent organic pollutants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in penguins of the genus Pygoscelis in Admiralty Bay — An Antarctic specially managed area

• Organic pollutants remain detectable in Antarctic penguins.
• Low-chlorinated PCB congeners predominated in Pygoscelis penguins.
• Distribution of individual PAHs in Pygoscelis penguins was similar to that of arctic diesel fuel.

Persistent organic pollutants were assessed in fat samples of the Gentoo (Pygoscelis papua), Chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus) and Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) penguins collected during the austral summers of 2005/06 and 2006/07 in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica. The predominant organic pollutants were PCB (114 to 1115), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (60.1 to 238.7), HCB (< 0.3 to 132.2) and BDE-47 (< 1.0 to 10.7) in ng g− 1 wet weight. The mean concentrations of the majority of organic pollutants were similar among the three species of penguins. Chicks of all three species showed similar profiles of PCB congeners, with predominance of lower chlorinated compounds. The distribution of PAHs was similar in all birds, with a predominance of naphthalene and alkyl-naphthalene, which are the main constituents of arctic diesel fuel. These data contribute to the monitoring of the continued exposure to organic pollutants in the Antarctic biota.