Species- and tissue-specific accumulation of Dechlorane Plus in three terrestrial passerine bird species from the Pearl River Delta, South China

Little data is available on the bioaccumulation of Dechlorane Plus (DP) in terrestrial organisms. Three terrestrial passerine bird species, light-vented bulbul, long-tailed shrike, and oriental magpie-robin, were collected from rural and urban sites in the Pearl River Delta to analyze for the presence of DP and its dechlorinated products in muscle and liver tissues. The relationships between trophic level and concentration and isomeric composition of DP in birds were also investigated based on stable nitrogen isotope analysis. DP levels had a wide range from 3.9 to 930 ng g−1 lipid weight (lw) in muscle and from 7.0 to 1300 ng g−1 lw in liver. Anti-Cl11-DP and syn-Cl11-DP, two dechlorinated products of DP, were also detected in bird samples with concentrations ranged between not detected (nd)-41 and nd-7.6 ng g−1 lw, respectively. DP preferentially accumulated in liver rather than in muscle for all three bird species. Birds had significantly higher concentrations of DP in urban sites than in rural sites (mean, 300 vs 73 ng g−1 lw). The fractions of anti-DP (fanti) were higher in birds collected in rural sites than in urban sites. Significant positive correlation between DP levels and δ15N values but significant negative correlation between fanti and δ15N values were found for birds in both urban and rural sites, indicating that trophic level of birds play an important role in determining DP level and isomeric profile.

► High DP levels were found in three terrestrial bird species from the PRD.
► DP preferentially accumulated in liver rather than in muscle.
► Birds from urban sites showed higher concentrations of DP than rural locations.
► The fanti values were higher in birds from rural sites than from urban sites.
► DP levels positively but fanti values negatively correlated with trophic level of birds.