Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6359761 | Marine Pollution Bulletin | 2013 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
Remote islands, such as the São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago (SPSPA), Brazil, are pristine areas. However, these locations are not exempt from the arrival of anthropogenic agents, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The present study aimed to determine the occurrence and distribution of POPs in the marine biota of the SPSPA. Sample extractions were performed using a microwave-assisted method. The predominant compounds were PCBs and DDTs, which respectively had mean wet weight concentrations of 62.23 and 9.23 ng gâ1 in the tropical two-wing flying fish (Exocoetus volitans), 78.66 and 6.81 ng gâ1 in the brown booby (Sula leucogaster) and 43.40 and 3.03 ng gâ1 in the red rock crab (Grapsus grapsus). Low levels of contaminants suggest a relative degree of isolation. Occurrence and distribution profiles of PCBs support long-range atmospheric transport as the main source of contamination and demonstrate the ubiquity of these pollutants in the marine environment.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Oceanography
Authors
Patrick S. Dias, Caio V.Z. Cipro, Satie Taniguchi, Rosalinda C. Montone,