6533b855fe1ef96bd12b1a80

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Pesticide residues in some Baltic animals - a review of selected literature

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ABSTRACT During the last few years, considerable efforts have been devoted to the tracing of halogenated hydrocarbons, particularly DDT and PCB, and of mercury in Baltic animals. These investigations have already produced some important generalizations, which may be summarized as follows: (1) The concentrations of halogenated hydrocarbons and mercury in the tissues of Baltic animals are in general higher than those found in the corresponding species on the west coast of Sweden and in the Norwegian waters. (2) The highest levels of DDT compounds seem to occur in the animals of the southern Baltic and the Sound (oresund). (3) The highest contents of methylmercury in the Baltic fish occur in certain coastal areas, usually polluted by pulp mill wastes, while the fish caught in the open sea seem to be less contaminated. (4) Especially high concentrations of pesticide residues have been observed in fish-eating birds and mammals of the Baltic, viz. in animals representing the top levels of the food chains. (5) No fatal poisoning of fish and waterfowl due to high concentrations of pesticides has so far been observed in the Baltic area. The situation is worse with white-tailed eagles and some other raptorial birds whose populations have almost totally collapsed in many coastal regions, probably partly owing to the synergetic effects of all accumulated poisons.