Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Caspian seals of unusual mortality event during 2000 and 2001.

Persistent organic pollutants including organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, and PCDDs/DFs were determined in the blubber of Caspian seals, which died during an outbreak of canine distemper virus in 2000 and 2001. DDTs were the predominant contaminants that ranged from 3.1 to 560 microg/g lipid.

Trace element accumulation in fishes collected from coastal waters of the Caspian Sea.

Concentrations of 13 trace elements (V, Mn, Cr, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Hg, Tl and Pb) were determined in muscle of bony fishes collected from coastal areas of the Caspian Sea (Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran). In all the fishes, Zn concentration was highest, followed by Cu, Se, Mn and Co, while levels of toxic elements (Ag, Cd, Cd, Tl and Pb) were relatively low. Concentrations of several elements were significantly varied between the species in each sampling area.

Concentrations of trace elements in muscle of sturgeons in the Caspian Sea.

Concentrations of 21 trace elements were determined in muscle of beluga (Huso huso), Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus), Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), ship sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris) and stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus) collected from coastal regions of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, surrounding the Caspian Sea during 2000-2001. Concentrations of Mn, Co, Cu, Mo, Sn, Hg, Pb and Bi in the muscle were apparently different among the five species of sturgeons. Especially, beluga showed the highest concentrations of Hg, Pb and Mn in all the five species.

Contamination by organochlorine compounds in sturgeons from Caspian Sea during 2001 and 2002.

Organochlorine compounds (OCs) were determined in the five species of sturgeons collected from coastal waters of Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran during 2001 and 2002 to understand their status of contamination and accumulation features. Among OCs examined, concentrations of DDTs (DDT and its metabolites) were predominant in all the sturgeon samples with concentrations ranging from 73 to 31,000 ng/g on lipid weight basis, followed by PCBs, CHLs, HCHs, HCB, dieldrin, TCPMOH, and heptachlor epoxide in order. The concentrations of OCs in beluga (Huso huso) were the highest among all the five species.