Organochlorine compounds in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) of the Barents Sea

This paper studies the content of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in muscle and liver of Atlantic cod and plaice, caught in the Barents Sea in 2016-2022. Chromatograph mass spectrometry is used to detect the content of organochlorine compounds in fish. The concentrations of HCB, α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, cis-chlordane, trans-chlordane, and trans-nonachlor in fish tissues are quantified, along with DDT and its metabolites, as well as PCB congeners with numbers 28, 31, 52, 99, 101, 105, 118, 138, 153, 156 and 180. The average content of ∑HCHs, HCB, ∑DDTs and ∑PCBs in cod muscle is 0.7, 0.06, 0.81 and 1.0 ng/g, and their average content in plaice muscle is 2.3, 0.66, 2.3 and 3.5 ng/g of wet weight, respectively. In cod liver, the average content of ∑HCHs, HCB, ∑DDTs, ∑PCBs, ∑chlordanes is 3.3, 3.0, 36.8, 65.4 and 30.9 ng/g, and their average content in plaice liver is 4.6, 6.5, 19.1, 10.9 and 4.8 ng/g of wet weight, respectively. The studies show that in fish tissue α-HCH predominates in ∑HCHs, ppꞌ-DDE — in ∑DDTs and PCB-118, PCB-138 and PCB-153 — in ∑PCBs. The accumulation of organochlorine compounds in fish tissue is found to be species-specific in terms of content level and ratio of HCH isomers, DDT isomers and metabolites, PCB congeners and chlordanes. The content of ∑HCHs, ∑DDTs and ∑PCBs in fish muscle and liver do not exceed the safe standards established for fish products.