Changes of concentrations and possibility of accumulation of bisphenol A and alkylphenols, depending on biomass and composition, in zooplankton of the Southern Baltic (Gulf of Gdansk).

The focus of the present study was to find the relationship between concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) and 4-nonylphenol (NP) in zooplankton and seasonal changes in the composition and biomass of particular zooplankton taxa in the Gulf of Gdansk (Southern Baltic) in the years 2011-2012. Assays of BPA, OP and NP in water and zooplankton samples were performed using the HPLC/FL system. High mean concentrations of the studied compounds, determined in spring (405.

Bisphenol A, 4-tert-octylphenol, and 4-nonylphenol in the Gulf of Gdańsk (Southern Baltic).

The organic derivatives of phenol are classed as dangerous compounds, and their presence has been detected in surface water, bottom water, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and mussel as well as liver and muscle of fish from the Gulf of Gdańsk and in liver, muscle, and guano of gulls residing in the coastal zone of this basin. The greatest sources of bisphenol A (BPA), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), and 4-nonylphenol (NP) were found to be the Vistula River and the water purification plant in Dębogórze. In living organisms, concentrations of BPA, OP, and NP ranged between the limit of quantification and several hundred ng g(-1) dry weight (dw), and the highest concentrations were found for BPA.