Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls in fresh water fish from Campania Region, southern Italy

Twenty-eight fish muscle specimens from the main water bodies of the Campania Region were analyzedin our laboratory. On average, results showed a low contamination by PCDDs + PCDFs and a relativelymore important presence of DL-PCBs. All specimens were compliant with EU regulatory maximum levels.Cumulative PCDD + PCDF + DL-PCB concentrations (TEQTOT) were comprised in the range 0.223–11.4pgWHO97–TEQ g1 fresh weight (fw). DL-PCB contribution to TEQTOT was on average greater than 86%(range, 50.2–97.1%). The cumulative concentrations of 30 non-dioxin-like PCB congeners (R30(NDLPCBs))and of the six indicators (R6(NDL-PCBs)) were respectively in the ranges 3.30–515 and 1.30–195 ng g1 fw. The hybrid clustering approach adopted to analyze the sample-specific congener profilesindentified the main analytical patterns present in the database and, in particular, two main diverseexposure macro-areas that seem to exist north and south of the city of Naples. The distribution of PCDDand PCDF congeners among different species showed significant variations from chub (Leuciscus cephalus),characterized by a higher proportion of low-chlorinated congeners (e.g. 2,3,7,8-T4CDD), to eel (Anguillaanguilla), whose contamination consisted mainly of highly chlorinated congeners (e.g. O8CDD). Tohave a more complete perspective in relation to the contaminants present in the environment, the studysuggestion is to use benthic as well as pelagic species to obtain an integrated characterization of fish tissuecontamination.