ScienceAsia 17 (1991): 031-049 |doi: 10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.1991.17.031

CYCLIC CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS IN BENTHIC INVERTEBRATES FROM THREE COASTAL AREAS IN THAILAND AND MALAYSIA

J. M. EVERAARTS, NASREEN BANO^*, C. SWENNEN AND M. T. J. HILLEBRAND

ABSTRACT: The concentration of individual chlorinated biphenyl congeners (PCBs), cyclic organochlorine pesticides and their persistant metabolites were determined in benthic invertebrate species, representing three phyla, from three estuarine mud-Hat areas along the Malay Pemnsula: Ao Ban Don and Pattani Bay (Thailand) and Jeram (Malaysia).
     Organisms from Pattani Bay (Campus PSU, Laem Nok and Ban Da To), contained the highest PCB concentrations, particularly in bivalves (Glauconome virens and PotamocorbuIa fasciata) and shrimp (Metapenaeus lysianassa).
     Bivalve molluscs showed significant interspecific differences in their PCB concentrations, independant of the number of individual CB-congeners taken into account for the calculation of PCB.
     In all spedes studied, the concentrations of the organochlorine pestiddes dieldrin, p,p-'DDT and its metabolites p,p-'DDE and p,p-'DDD (10 to 250 ng.g^-1 PEL) were approximately one order of magnitude higher than those of -HCH, penta- and hexachlorobenzene (1 to 15 ng.g^-1 PEL). The compounds -HCR, endrin and p,p-'DDD were generally below detection limit.
     Interspecific differences in concentration levels were found, with crab showing the highest accumulation of especially dieldrin and p,p-'DDE.
     Differences in contamination of the coastal areas monitored in terms of lipid-based whole-body concentrations of the organisms could be described for dieldrin and p,p'DDE, irrespective of the spedes sampled. Organisms from Ao Ban Don and particularly Jeram showed very high concentrations of dieldrin. Organisms from three sampling sites in Pattani Bay, together with the coastal area of Jeram showed high p,p'DDE concentrations, compared to organisms from Ao Ban Don.

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Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P. O. Box. 59, 1790 AB Den Burg- Texel, the Netherlands.

Received 22 February 1991