RESUMO
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been spreading to Antarctica for over half a century. Penguins are effective indicators of pelagic concentrations of POPs. We synthesized the literature on penguins to assess temporal trends of pelagic contamination in Antarctica, using fat and eggs to monitor changes from 1964 to 2011. DDT/DDE ratios suggest long-range atmospheric transport. Average DDT in fat (ww) increased from 44â¯ngâ¯g-1 in the 1960s, peaked at 171â¯ngâ¯g-1 in the mid-1980s, and then declined slowly to the present level of 101â¯ngâ¯g-1. Temporal trends in HCB contamination rose into the 1990s before declining. ∑HCHs in fat was â¼5â¯ngâ¯g-1 from 1960 to 1979, peaking at 33â¯ngâ¯g-1 during the period 1980-1989 before declining to â¼5â¯ngâ¯g-1 from 1990 to present. PCBs rose substantially from 1970 to 2009 in fat, varying more than DDTs and HCB in both fat and eggs. Antarctic penguins are good biological indicators of global DDT and HCB emissions, but the existing data are insufficient regarding HCHs and PCBs.