Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) concentrations in herring muscle and guillemot egg

 

	Authors: Anders Bignert, Sara Danielsson, Suzanne Faxneld, Elisabeth Nyberg, The Department of Contaminant Research, Swedish Museum of Natural History

  

Key message

The concentration of HBCDD in Guillemot egg show a significant increase of about 3% per year since 1969. On the contrary, decreasing trends are seen for HBCDD in herring muscle from the sites at the Swedish west coast. No trends can be found for herring at the other monitored sites.

 

              

Figure 1. Spatial variation in mean concentration (2008-2010 in ng/g lipid weight) of HBCDD in herring muscle. The highest concentration (22 ng/g ) was found in the southern Baltic Proper (Utlängan), the lowest (2.6 ng/g) in Skagerrak (Väderöarna). Data originates from the Swedish national monitoring programme and are analysed at the Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University.

 

Results and assessment 

Relevance of the indicator for describing developments in the environment

Analyses of contaminants in biotic samples, in contrast to abiotic matrices, exhibit the bioavailable part of the contaminants. The lipid content of both herring muscle tissue and guillemot eggs is high, about 2-4% and 11-13% respectively, and thus very appropriate for analysis of fat-soluble contaminants as HBCDD. Herring are commonly used for human consumption.

Policy relevance and policy references

HBCDD is still in use in EU, but HBCDD is listed on REACHs Candidate list and Authorisation list for substances regarded as SVHC (substances of very high concern).

HBCDD is under review by the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) as a proposed substance to be listed under the Stockholm Convention.

The Swedish import of HBCDD has decreased from about 120 to 0 tonnes per year during the time period 1997-2010.

Assessment

The concentration of HBCDD in Guillemot eggs show a significant increase of about 3% per year whereas no trend is indicated for HBCDD in herring muscle from the sites in the Baltic Sea during the monitored time period, 1999-2010. The map indicates elevated concentrations in the Baltic Proper compared to the Gulf of Bothnia and the Swedish west coast. The highest concentration (around 22 ng/g ) was found at Utlängan in the southern Baltic Proper, the lowest (around 2 ng/g) in Skagerrak (Väderöarna).

 

 

Figure 2. Temporal trends of HBCDD concentration (ng/g lipid weight) in herring muscle from four different sampling sites in the Baltic Sea (1999-2010). Harufjärden (Bothnian Bay), Ängskärsklubb (S. Bothnian Sea), Landsort (N. Baltic Proper), Utlängan (S. Baltic Proper). The horizontal line is the mean concentration of the analysed period.

 

 

Figure 3. Temporal trend of HBCDD concentration (ng/g lipid weight) in guillemot egg (1969-2010) from St. Karlsö (S. Baltic Proper). The red linear line presented in the figure is based on a log-linear regression analysis and shows an increasing trend of 3% per year and the non-linear red line is a simple 3-point running mean smoother fitted to the annual geometric mean values. The dashed light blue line represent a trend for the last 10 years if 0.05<p<0.15. A red cross represents a suspected outlier. 

 

References

Bignert, A., Berger, U., Borg, H., Danielsson S., Eriksson, U., Faxneld, S., Haglund, P., Holm, K., Nyberg, E., Nylund, K. 2012. Comments Concerning the National Swedish Contaminant Monitoring Programme in Marine Biota. Report to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, 2012. 228 pp.

KemI (2006). Hexabromocyklododekan (HBCDD) och tetrabrombisfenol - A (TBBPA). Rapport 3/06.

Data

Trend (in %) assessed from the annual geometric mean of concentrations of HBCDD (ng/g lipid weight) in various matrices and sites during the time period 1969/99-2010 and the estimated mean concentration for the last year (2010). The trend is reported, if p<0.1. The age interval, the total number of analyses and the number of years are also presented. The numbers presented in brackets are the 95% confidence intervals.

 

Matrix	age	n analyses	n  yrs	year	trend  (95% ci)	mean concentration of last year (95% ci)
Herring muscle
Harufjärden	3-4	143	12	1999-2010		8.6 (6.3-12)
Ängskärsklubb	3-5	129	11	1999-2010		4.0 (2.1-7.3)
Landsort	3-5	143	12	1999-2010		12 (8.5-17)
Utlängan	3-4	143	12	1999-2010		11 (6.9- 20)
Guillemot egg
St. Karlsö		227	37	1969-2010	2.6 (1.6,3.5)*	166 (134, 205)

* significant trend, p < 0.05

 

Metadata

Technical information

Data source: National Swedish Monitoring Programme of Contaminants in Biota

Sampling, sample preparation, storage in specimen bank and evaluation of results are carried out by the Department of Contaminant Research at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm. Chemical Analysis is carried out at Institute of Applied Environmental Research at Stockholm University.

Geographical coverage: see data table and map.

Temporal coverage: see data table and figures.

Methodology and frequency of data collection, see Bignert et al, 2012.

Methodology of data manipulation. For a detailed description of statistical methods use, see Bignert et al. 2012.

Quality information

The number of years required to detect an annual change of 10% with a power of 80% varied between 11 to 16 years for the herring time-series. The number of years required to detect an annual change of 10% was 12 years for the whole guillemot egg time-series and 9 years for the last ten years.

 

 

For reference purposes, please cite this Baltic Sea Environment Fact Sheets as follows:

[Author’s name(s)], [Year]. [Baltic Sea Environment Fact Sheets title]. HELCOM Baltic Sea Environment Fact Sheet(s) 2012. Online. [Date Viewed], http://www.helcom.fi/environment2/ifs/en_GB/cover/.

 

Last updated: 2 November 2012