Perfluorinated compounds in fish: Extensive findings published

Created at January 22, 2012

The final report of a retrospective study presents the contamination of fish with perfluorinated compounds. The samples originated from marine and surface waters and were collected by the German environmental specimen bank.

The study was conducted in 2011 with the goal to determine the spatial distribution and temporal concentration profile of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in fish samples from various German rivers and coastal areas of the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Several PFC compounds in muscle and liver tissue of bream (Abramis brama) and eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) were analysed for the period 1995-2010. In all samples perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) was found in highest concentrations. In recent years PFOS tended to decrease in fish. In contrast, the longer chained perfluorocarboxylates (C10 to C14) have been increased since the year 2000. Parallel measurements in muscle and liver show a specific enrichment behavior of PFCs in these tissues.

The final report presents all findings in detail.

To final report