Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls carcinogens residual in some fish and shell fish of Yemen

Abstract EN

The concentrations of Dichloro-Diphenyl Trichloroethane (DDTs) as organ chlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in seventeen important commercial species Fish and Shell Fish from the Gulf of Adan and Red Sea of Yemen Coast were investigated in this study.

Relation between weight and length of the organisms and the values of DDTs and PCBs were also considered.

The concentrations of DDTs and PCBs were measured, using GC chromatography and using electron capture detector.

The values of DDTs in the Red Sea ranged from 0.9-7.8 ng g-1 and the OCPs ranged from 0.1-1.0 ng g-1.

As for the fishes and shell fishes of the Gulf of Aden, the concentration ranges were 0.3-6.4 ng g-1 and 0.1-0.9 ng g-1 for DDTs and PCBs respectively.

Although PCBs are not manufactured in Yemen, their presence can be attributed to the industrial usage and the possible dumping of some products which contain PCBs.

The study of relationships between DDTs and PCBs and weights or lengths indicated that these compounds are not concentrated in the tissues of fish and shell fish species.