Concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in mullet (Mugil cephalus) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) from Bizerte Lagoon (Northern Tunisia) Walid Ben Ameur a , Souad Trabelsi a , Yassine El Megdiche a , Sihem Ben Hassine a , Badreddine Barhoumi a , Bèchir Hammami a , Ethel Eljarrat b , Damia Barceló b , Mohamed Ridha Driss a,⇑ a Laboratory of Environmental Analytical Chemistry (05/UR/12-03), University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences, Bizerte, 7021 Zarzouna, Tunisia b Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain highlights " OCP and PCB levels were reported in fish from Bizerte Lagoon (Tunisia). " OCs levels were comparable or slightly higher than to those found in other studies. " The estimated daily intake for DDTs and c-HCH were far below the ADI recommended by FAO/WHO. article info Article history: Received 24 July 2011 Received in revised form 23 August 2012 Accepted 17 October 2012 Available online 11 November 2012 Keywords: Organochlorine pesticides Polychlorinated biphenyls Fish Mugil cephalus Dicentrarchus labrax Bizerte Lagoon abstract Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were deter- mined in two fish species, mullet (Mugil cephalus) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), collected from Biz- erte Lagoon and the Mediterranean Sea. In all samples, PCBs were found in higher concentrations than OCPs. The highest concentrations of OCPs and PCBs were found in sea bass, and in Bizerte Lagoon. Con- centrations of DDTs and PCBs detected in this study were generally comparable or slightly higher than those found in studies from other Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean regions subject to a high anthropogenic impact. P PCBs, P HCHs and HCB levels were negatively correlated with lipid content, while no such correlation was seen for P DDTs. A significant correlation between levels and length and between levels and weight existed only for P PCBs. The daily intake of PCBs and OCPs ingested by people living in Bizerte through the studied fish species was estimated and compared with those observed in other areas. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Environmental contamination by organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are represen- tative persistent organic pollutants (POPs), is a serious problem for human beings. OCPs and PCBs have been produced and used for agricultural and industrial purposes for a long time and on a large scale. PCBs were used in a wide range of applications, such as coat- ings, inks, flame retardants, paints, heat-transfer systems, electrical transformers and hydraulic fluids. Organochlorine pesticides had been used throughout the world thanks to exceptional insecticidal and fungicidal properties (Xu et al., 2010). Following the extensive research concerning their wide distribution in the environment and toxic effects on human and animal health had been discovered, their production and use have been restricted and/or banned. Because of their high chemical stability, long-range atmospheric transport, lipophilicity and persistence, these chemicals tend to bioconcentrate and biomagnify in the food chains and persist in the environment for many years, representing a definite health hazard for both wildlife and humans (Naso et al., 2005; Covaci et al., 2006; Roche et al., 2009). Contamination by PCBs and OCPs has been reported in air, water, sediment, soil, vegetables, fish, meats and in human sample, like breast milk, blood, and adipose tissue. Long-term chronic exposure to OCPs and PCBs has been cor- related with severe injury to the nervous, endocrine, reproductive, and immune systems in birds, fish, and mammals (Ratcliffe, 1967; Kelce et al., 1995; Skaare et al., 2000; Toft et al., 2003). Ingestion is the main source of human exposure to organochlorine pollutants, and, in particular, the consumption of seafood from contaminated 0045-6535/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.10.028 ⇑ Corresponding author. Address: Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, Department of Chemistry, Bizerte, 7021 Zarzouna, Tunisia. Tel.: +216 98 435 206; fax: +216 72 590 566. E-mail address: mr.driss@fsb.rnu.tn (M.R. Driss). Chemosphere 90 (2013) 2372–2380 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Chemosphere journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/chemosphere