The residual dynamic of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorine pesticides in fishponds of the Pearl River delta, South China

Abstract Hong Kong and South China are the most developed regions within China. The industrialization in these areas has resulted in severe environmental problems. Sediment and biotic samples including tilapia ( Oreochromis mossambicus ), bighead carp ( Aristichthys nobilis ), grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idellus ), crucian carp ( Carassius auratus ) and mandarin fish/fresh water grouper ( Siniperca chuatsi ) were collected from different fishponds in the Pearl River Delta (Tanzhou, Sanjiao, Guangzhou, Shipai, Changan and Mai Po) for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine (OC) pesticides. Mandarin fish, which belongs to the highest trophic level, accumulated the highest concentrations of PAHs and DDTs among all fish species. The levels of DDTs in fish samples ranged from 1.5 to 62 ng g −1 (wet wt.), with more than 30% of the fish samples exceeding the limit of 14.4 ng g −1 (wet wt.) for human consumption recommended by US EPA (2000). Levels of PAHs in fish samples ranged from 1.91 to 224.03 ng g −1 (wet wt.), but the potency-weighted total concentrations of PAHs in all muscle tissues were below the guideline value of 0.67 ng g −1 (wet wt.) for human consumption set by US EPA (2000). The guideline value calculated was based on a tissue consumption rate of 142.2 g day −1 (4–5 meals per week), which is a more protective rate for populations with a high consumption of fish, like Chinese and Asians. The effect of lipid content in PAHs and DDTs accumulation in fish tissue was not significant in general.