PCDEs, PCBs, PCDDs AND PCDFs in black guillemots and white-tailed sea eagles from the Baltic Sea

Concentrations and patterns of several chloro compounds including polychlorinated dibenzo p-dioxins (PCDD), dibenzofurans (PCDF), biphenyls (PCB) and diphenyl ethers (PCDE) were determined in black guillemots (Cepphus grylle L.) and white-tailed sea-eagles (Hallaeetus albicilla L.) from the Baltic Sea environment. Three breast muscles of eagles were analyzed and had different concentrations and patterns of the studied compounds, whereas the three guillemot eggs were found to have more similar levels and patterns. The concentrations of individual PCDE congeners varied from < 3 to 79 ng/g lipid weight (lw) in guillemots and from < 5 to 13,000 ng/g lw in eagles. Toxic PCDDs and PCDFs occurred at lower concentrations than toxic coplanar PCB congeners in both guillemots and eagles. The toxic load as TCDD equivalents (TEQ) for coplanar PCBs was on average 5 ng/g lw in guillemots and ranged from 9 to 340 ng/g lw in eagles.