PCBs and OCPs in fish along coastal fisheries in China: Distribution and health risk assessment

• Comprehensive study of PCBs, DDTs and HCHs in bass from Chinese coastal fisheries
• As the dominant contaminants, DDT concentrations were much higher than PCBs and HCHs.
• The average concentration showed a general pattern as liver > gill > muscle.
• Consuming bass from highly contaminated fisheries could cause human health risk.

PCBs and OCPs were analyzed in fish (bass) taken along Chinese coastal fisheries. In the bass muscle, PCB, DDT and HCH concentrations were in the range of 1.02–2.2 ng/g, 0.44–1.74 and 2.84–106.11 ng/g ww, respectively. Spatial distribution showed that the concentrations of target contaminants in bass from south fisheries were in general much lower than those from north fisheries in China. The ratios of OCP congeners suggested that technical DDT was not the main input and a recent usage of lindane or old technical HCH residuals could be the source of HCHs. The OCC concentrations in liver (127–442.43 ng/g ww) from selected samples were 8–12 and 10–14 times higher than those in gills and muscles, respectively. Based on the maximum allowable fish assumption rate (CRlim and CRmm), it could cause human health risk, by consuming bass samples taken from highly contaminated fisheries including QD and ST.