Environmental Toxicology and Chemrstry, zyxwvutsrqponm Vol. 13, zyxwvutsrqponmlkji pp, zyxwvutsrqponm 129-142, 1994 Printed in the USA. Pergamon Press Ltd 0730-7268/94 zyxw 16.00 i Copyright zyx 0 1993 SE1 OCCURRENCE OF NON-ORTHO-, MONO-ORTHO- AND DI-ORTHO- SUBSTITUTED PCB CONGENERS IN DIFFERENT ORGANS AND TISSUES OF POLECATS zyxwvuts (MUSTELA PUTORlUS L.) FROM THE NETHERLANDS PIM E.G. LEONARDS,~~ BERT VAN HATTUM,~ WIM P. COFINO~ and UDO A. TH. BRINKMAN$ ?Institute for Environmental Studies, Free University, De Boelelaan 11 15, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands $Department of Analytical Chemistry, Free University, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Received 6 November 1992; Accepted 12 May 1993) Abstract - The presence and concentrations of non-ortho-, mono-ortho-, and di-ortho-substituted PCB congeners in the pole- cat zyxwvutsrqp (n = 7), a member of the mustelid family, were investigated. PCBs were extracted with a Soxhlet apparatus. After cleanup the non-ortho-substituted PCB congeners were separated from the other PCBs by HPLC. Determinations were accomplished with GC-ECD or GC-MSD. Patterns of PCBs were examined in different organs and tissues: liver, kidney, muscle, anal gland secretion, mesenteric fat, and subcutaneous fat. Using a multivariate statistical method for data analysis (SIMCA), a signifi- cant difference of PCB patterns between anal gland secretion and the other organs and tissues was revealed. Lesser concentra- tions of congeners with seven and eight chlorine atoms in anal gland secretion were mainly responsible for this phenomenon. A more or less organ- and tissue-specific PCB pattern was observed in all animals. PCB patterns were not dependent on prey choice, which ranged from terrestrial (small rodents) to aquatic (amphibians). This finding implies that PCB patterns in the pole- cat seem to be controlled by metabolic processes rather than diet factors. The total concentration of PCBs (sum of 29 conge- ners) in polecats varies widely, two orders of magnitude, from 1 to 370 pg/g lipid. In some animals, PCBs exceeded the experimentally determined reproduction effect concentrations of mink and ferrets. Using the toxic equivalent approach, it was observed that planar PCB 126 accounts for 63 to 98% of the toxic equivalents. The results showed that juvenile animals con- tain greater PCB levels than adult males and females, which might be related to an increased elimination of PCBs in adult ani- mals due to anal gland secretion. High concentrations of PCBs were observed in such secretion. A preliminary model for concentrations of PCBs in polecats including this effect is proposed. Keywords -Polychlorinated biphenyls PCB Non-ortho-, mono-ortho-, di-ortho-PCBs Mustela putorrus INTRODUCTION PCBs are widespread in the environment [1,2]. Planar non-ortho- and mono-ortho-substituted PCB congeners are assumed to have serious effects on the reproduction of pi- scivorous birds and mammals such as seals, cetaceans, and mustelids [3,4]. The planarity of PCB congeners depends on the number and position of chlorine atoms; congeners with at least two meta- and two para-chlorine atoms are the most toxic zyxwvutsrqp [5]. In mammals planar PCBs induce the same enzyme systems as dioxins and furans. Concentrations of planar PCBs are much greater than dioxins and furans in mammals, piscivorous birds, and fish. Therefore, planar PCBs are as- sumed to exceed the toxicity of dioxins and furans in these animals [6,7]. In most studies, non-ortho- and mono-ortho-substituted PCBs have been investigated in aquatic ecosystems. Less at- tention has been paid to terrestrial ecosystems. The present study is one of the first surveys on the occurrence of non- ortho-, mono-ortho-, and some di-ortho-substituted PCB congeners in a more terrestrially oriented top-predator, the polecat (Mustela putorius L.]. The polecat is a member of the mustelid family and has varying feeding habits, which may range from aquatic, amphibians, to terrestrial prey, small rodents [8]. Polecats are widely distributed through- *To whom correspondence may be addressed. out The Netherlands [9]. It is assumed that habitat destruc- tion is one of the factors responsible for the decline of polecat populations in The Netherlands [10,11]. Besides habitat de- struction, pollution by PCBs may be an important factor in the decrease of polecats, as evident from the study of Ma- son and Weber [I21 in Switzerland. Effects of PCBs on other mustelids have been demonstrated in experimental studies with mink and ferrets; severe reproduction failure has been reported for these species. Mink appear to be very sensitive to PCBs [13-151. Population declines of the otter, another mustelid, in Europe may also be related to the presence of PCBs in the environment [16-181. The main objectives of this study were to examine the concentrations of non-ortho-, mono-ortho-, and di-ortho- substituted PCB congeners in different organs and tissues in polecats in The Netherlands and to compare them with ef- fect concentrations reported for mustelids. Special attention was given to the potential use of anal gland secretion for bio- logical monitoring studies as suggested by Larsson et al. [19]. All mustelid species have an anal gland, the secretion of which is used mainly for territory marking. The anal gland consists of a sac surrounded by sebaceous glandular tissue and apocrine glandular tissue [20]. The sebaceous glands se- crete into the duct, and the apocrine glands open into the cau- dal region of the sac. The secretion of the anal gland contains an aqueous phase, consisting mainly of volatile fatty acids, ammonia, and amines, and a lipophilic phase, consisting 129