Retrospective monitoring of mercury in fish from selected European freshwater and estuary sites.

Levels and trends of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) compounds in bream (Abramis brama) from different European sites were compared. Bream were collected between 2007 and 2013 in the estuaries of the rivers Scheldt (Netherlands), Rhône (France), Göta älv (Sweden), Tees (United Kingdom), and Mersey (UK), and in Lake Belau (Germany). A direct mercury analyzer was used to determine THg concentrations while MeHg was measured by gas chromatography/inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry applying stable isotope dilution. THg and MeHg in annual pool samples of bream ranged between 15.9 and 251 µg kg(-1) wet weight (ww) with lowest concentrations found at the reference site Lake Belau and highest in samples from the river Rhône. The EU environmental quality standard (EQS) of 20 µg kg(-1) ww was exceeded at all sites and in all years except at Lake Belau in 2012. Significantly decreasing trends over time were observed only in bream from the Rhône, while THg increased in bream from the Western Scheldt. The MeHg fractions of THg were always >80% and a significant difference between sites was detected only in one case (Rhône vs. Lake Belau).

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in German fish tissue: a national study.

German Environment Specimen Bank (GESB) fish tissue samples, collected from 14 different GESB locations, were analyzed for 15 pharmaceuticals, 2 pharmaceutical metabolites, and 12 personal care products. Only 2 pharmaceuticals, diphenhydramine and desmethylsertraline, were measured above MDL. Diphenhydramine (0.04-0.07 ng g(-1) ww) and desmethylsertraline (1.65-3.28 ng g(-1) ww) were measured at 4 and 2 locations, respectively. The maximum concentrations of galaxolide (HHCB) (447 ng g(-1) ww) and tonalide (AHTN) (15 ng g(-1) ww) were measured at the Rehlingen sampling site in the Saar River. A significant decrease in HHCB and AHTN fish tissue concentrations was observed from 1995 to 2008 at select GESB sampling sites (r(2) = 0.69-0.89 for galaxolide and 0.89-0.97 for tonalide with p < 0.003). Galaxolide and tonalide fish tissue concentrations in Germany were ∼19× and ∼28× lower, respectively, as compared to fish tissue concentrations measured in a United States nationwide PPCP study conducted in 2006. Proximity of the sampling locations to the upstream wastewater treatment plant discharging point and mean annual flow at the sampling location were found to significantly predict galaxolide and tonalide fish tissue concentrations (HHCB: r(2) = 0.79, p = 0.021 and AHTN: r(2) = 0.81, p = 0.037) in Germany.

Permanent genetic resources added to Molecular Ecology Resources Database 1 October 2011-30 November 2011.

This article documents the addition of 139 microsatellite marker loci and 90 pairs of single-nucleotide polymorphism sequencing primers to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Aglaoctenus lagotis, Costus pulverulentus, Costus scaber, Culex pipiens, Dascyllus marginatus, Lupinus nanus Benth, Phloeomyzus passerini, Podarcis muralis, Rhododendron rubropilosum Hayata var. taiwanalpinum and Zoarces viviparus. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Culex quinquefasciatus, Rhododendron pseudochrysanthum Hay. ssp. morii (Hay.) Yamazaki and R. pseudochrysanthum Hayata. This article also documents the addition of 48 sequencing primer pairs and 90 allele-specific primers for Engraulis encrasicolus.

Monitoring of hexabromocyclododecane diastereomers in fish from European freshwaters and estuaries.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant used mainly in polystyrene foam as well as in textile applications. In recent years, measures were taken to reduce HBCD emissions during its production and use. To evaluate the efficacy of these measures, a monitoring project was initiated with fish as bioaccumulation indicators. METHODS: Since 2007 bream was sampled annually at several European freshwater sites applying standardized methods. Muscle samples were analyzed by a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method which allows the quantification of α-, ß-, and γ-diastereomers of HBCD. DISCUSSION: In most samples, α-HBCD was predominant. The lowest HBCD levels (11 µg/kg lipid weight (lw), sum of three HBCD diastereomers) were detected in bream sampled in 2009 from Lake Belau which is situated in a rural area of Northern Germany. During the 4-year study period, statistical significant decreases of HBCD concentrations were detected in bream from the rivers Rhone (France; -85%, level 2010, 205 µg/kg lw) and Western Scheldt (the Netherlands; -60%, level 2010, 36 µg/kg lw). High HBCD concentrations (9,480-14,500 µg/kg lw) without a clear time trend were observed in bream from the river Tees (UK). These high levels are in line with published data for fish from contaminated regions. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results indicate that environmental burdens of HBCD are decreasing at those locations where point sources and more diffuse emissions are expected.

Eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) in marine environmental monitoring.

The implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive necessitates the development of common criteria and methodological standards for marine environmental monitoring and assessment across Europe. Eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) is proposed as a key indicator organism in the Baltic and North Sea regions. This benthic fish species is widely used in ecotoxicological studies and as a bioindicator of local pollution due to its stationary behavior. Eelpout is included in the environmental monitoring program of several Baltic States, covering both chemical and biological effects measurements, and samples have been archived in environmental specimen banks for >15 years. A method for evaluating the frequency of larval aberrations has been suggested as a standardized assessment tool. The large scientific knowledge-base and considerable experience of long-term chemical and biological effects monitoring and specimen banking, make eelpout a suitable species for the assessment of Good Environmental Status in the Baltic and North Seas.

Is there a linkage between bioaccumulation and the effects of alkylphenols on male breams (Abramis brama)?

There was some evidence from a previous study that estrogenic disruptors, like alkylphenols, could effect fish in the small River Saar of Southwestern Germany. Concentrations of 4NP and 4NP1EO found in breams (Abramis brama) in the Saar River were much higher than those found in other sampling sites of the German Environmental Specimen Bank, including those from sampling sites in the Rivers Elbe, Rhine, Mulde, and Saale and in Lake Belau. We studied the relationship between accumulation and effect using vitellogenin (vtg) and a hepatosomatic index (HSI) of estrogenic effects and by measuring concentrations of AP and APE accumulated in breams caught at six sampling sites in the River Saar and one in the River Mosel. To link these results with those of the previous study we standardized our sampling efforts to obtain comparable data. Elevated vtg levels were found in the breams at all sampling sites near to or downstream of sewage plant discharges, whereas low vtg levels corresponded to sampling sites not influenced by municipal waste water. While HSI values did not correspond to the location of sampling sites, there was a weak but statistically significant correlation to vtg concentrations. Concentrations of four AP and APE were much more lower, as in the previous study, and were neither linked with sewage treatment plant discharges nor correlated with vtg levels. In conclusion, a linkage between accumulation and the effects of AP and APE could not be established, but the relationship between elevated vtg concentrations and municipal waste water, which contains other important endocrine disruptors, was clear.