the Science of the Total Emhnment The Scienceof the Total Environment 160/161(1995) 337-346 Chlorinated hydrocarbons in glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) in the southern part of Svalbard Geir Wing Gabrielsen”, Janneche Utne Skaare” bJc, Anuschka Polder”, Vidar Bakkend ‘Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, c/o Tromsl Museum, University of Tromsh N-9037 Trams@, Norway bDeparhnent of Toxicology and Chemistq Central Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 8146 Dep., N-0033 Oslo 1, Norway ‘Depament of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 8146, N-0033 Oslo I, Norway ‘Norwegian Polar Research Institute, P.O. Box 158, N-1330 Oslo Lufrhavn, Norway Abstract In 1989,a number of glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) were found deadnear a seabird cliff at south Svalbard.In an effort to elucidate the course of death, 12 individualswere sent to the Central Veterinary Institute for autopsy and analysis of chlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in samples of liver, kidney, brain and muscle. Eggsof common and Briinnich’s guillemots constitute important food for glaucous gulls during the nestling period, thus 13 eggs (3 eggs from commonand 10 eggs from Briinnich’s guillemots) from the samearea were also analyzed for organochlorines. The autopsy of the birds did not reveal any specific causeof death. The following chlorinated pesticides were analyzed: hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (a-, /3-, rHCH), chlor- danes (oxychlordane, truns-nonachlor, heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide), the drin group (aldrin, dieldrin) and the DDT group (o,p’, p,p’DDT, DDD and DDE). Relatively low hepatic concentrations of dieldrin were found (n.d.-0.17 mg/kg wet weight (w.w.), mean 0.041, ZHCH (n.d.-0.14 mg/kg w.w., mean0.02), HCB (0.03-1.01 mg/kg w.w., mean 0.511, oxychlordane (0.01-1.85 mg/kg w.w., mean 1.051, p,p’DDE (0.81-5.41 mg/kg w.w., mean 2.98), o,p’DDD (O-O.52 mg/kg w.w., mean 0.14) and XDDT (0.9-6.25 mg/kg w.w., mean 2.92). Levels of the other chlorinated pesticides were below the quantification level. Very high concentrations of PCBswere found. The CPCB (sum of wet weight concentrations of the 21 individual congeners, the IUPAC nos.28, 52, 74, 99, 101, 110, 118, 114, 153, 105, 141, 138, 183, 128, 187, 156, 157, 180, 170, 194and 209) in hepatic tissue was0.8-32.3 mg/kg W.W. (mean 16.0), in brain 0.9-29.5 mg/kg W.W. (mean 14.8), in kidney 0.4-21.4 mg/kg W.W. (mean 9.7) and in muscle0.5-6.0 mg/kg W.W. (mean 3.1). The concentrations of the individual PCB congeners are also given. Relatively low concentrations of all the organochlorines were found in guillemot eggs, mean concentrations of ZDDT and PCBs were 0.25 and 0.47 mg/kg w.w., respectively. A toxicological evaluation of the PCB results is difficult; however, it cannot be excludedthat PCBs might have contributed to the death of the gulls. * Corresponding author. 0048-9697/95/$09.50 0 1995 Elsevier Science BV. All rights resewed. SSDI 0048-9697(95)04367-V