Persistent Organic Pollutants in gull eggs of two species (Larus michahellis and Larus audouinii) from the Ebro delta Natural Park Laura Morales a , Maria Generosa Martrat a , Jorge Olmos b , Jordi Parera a , Joana Vicente a , Albert Bertolero c , Manuela Ábalos a , Silvia Lacorte a,⇑ , Francisco Javier Santos b , Esteban Abad a a Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain b Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain c IRTA, Sant Carles de la Rápita, Catalonia, Spain article info Article history: Received 23 September 2011 Received in revised form 26 March 2012 Accepted 31 March 2012 Available online 5 May 2012 Keywords: Gulls Eggs POPs Accumulation Distribution abstract The aim of this study was to determine the impact of priority and emerging Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in gull eggs from two species, the scavenger Larus michahellis and the protected species, Larus audouinii. These two species share habitat in the Natural Park of the Ebro delta (Catalonia, Spain). Compounds studied are included or under consideration in the Stockholm Convention and comprise polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), poly- chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorinated compounds (OCs), perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) and short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs). Four methods based in selective extraction and gas or liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry were used and quality parameters are provided. OC pes- ticides and marker PCBs were the most abundant chemical families detected in eggs from the two species, followed by PFCs, PBDEs (especially BDE 209) and SCCPs. Dioxin-like PCBs and PCDD/Fs were also detected in all samples. The overall widespread presence of POPs is discussed in terms of feeding habits, bird ecology and anthropogenic pressures in the protected Ebro delta breeding area. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Several studies in bird-breeding areas have reported unex- pected high levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in bird eggs. Birds have the ability to accumulate POPs through the diet and are thereafter transferred to the eggs (Bustnes et al., 2008a,b). The presence of POPs in birds was first evidenced in 1973 when organochlorinated pesticides (OC) were detected in birds and in their layout (Stickel et al., 1973) and it was suggested that they could induce reproductive effects (Fergin and Schafer, 1977). Another study performed in 1978 in Mediterranean gulls demonstrated that birds accumulated polychlorinated naphtha- lenes, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and metals (Vannuchi et al., 1978). In Sweden, 1982, POPs were detected in Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and they were the cause of the failure of the clutches (Helander et al., 1982) and 20 years latter, the effect of these contaminants on the development of the egg shell and repro- ductive availability were evidenced (Helander et al., 2002). In Canada, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), PCBs and mirex were detected at 60 000–69 600 000 pg g À1 ww in herring gulls (Larus argentatus), with the highest levels attributed to highly contaminated sites (Weseloh et al., 1990). In the Great Lakes of the United States, PCBs, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were identified in aquatic birds (Kannan et al., 2001) at 7.4–97 pg g À1 ww. In Greece, several PCB congeners and OC pesticides were detected in bird spe- cies attributed to a generalized and diffuse contamination in areas of ecological interest (Konstantinou et al., 2000; Albanis et al., 2003). In Italy, DDTs and PCBs were identified at high concentra- tions in birds collected close to a DDT producing factory and were correlated to low levels of steroidal hormones and negative effects in the offsprings (Cortinovis et al., 2008). New generation of POPs, such as perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), used as water repellents in many industrial and domestic appliances, have also been detected in liver of Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) at 1873 000–2249 000 pg g À1 (Kannan et al., 2002). On the other hand, polybromodiphenyl ethers (PBDEs), used as flame retardants, have been detected in gannet (Morus bassanus) from United Kingdom during the period 1977–2007 (Crosse et al., 2012). The pervasive distribution of POPs is evidenced when these compounds are detected in remote areas like the Arctic (Herzke et al., 2003), as for PBDEs in eggs of Fulmar Boreal (Fulmarus glaciales)(Verreault et al., 2005; Karlsson et al., 2006) or PFCs in several Arctic birds (Haukås et al., 2007). 0045-6535/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.03.106 ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 934006133; fax: +34 932045904. E-mail address: slbqam@cid.csic.es (S. Lacorte). Chemosphere 88 (2012) 1306–1316 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Chemosphere journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/chemosphere