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Enantiomers of methylhexachlorocyclohexane and hexachlorocyclohexane in fish, shellfish, and waters of the Mersey estuary
Author(s) -
McNeish A. S.,
Bidleman T.,
Leah R. T.,
Johnson M. S.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
environmental toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1522-7278
pISSN - 1520-4081
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1522-7278(1999)14:4<397::aid-tox4>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - biota , environmental chemistry , mytilus , estuary , bioaccumulation , flounder , enantiomer , platichthys , chemistry , ecology , biology , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , stereochemistry
Biota of the Mersey Estuary are contaminated by a number of methylhexachlorocyclohexane compounds, of which the most abundant analyte is 1α,2α,3β,4α,5β,6β‐hexachloro‐1‐methylcyclohexane (α‐MHCH). The soft tissues of blue mussels ( Mytilus edulis ) and liver tissue of dab ( Limanda limanda ), flounder ( Platichthys flesus ), and plaice ( Pleuronectes platessa ) from the estuary show enantiomeric ratios (ERs) for chiral α‐MHCH of 0.88±0.01–1.10±0.02 (mean±SD), a range which departs from the unity value expected for the racemic mixture of the two enantiomers if no metabolic or abiotic transformations occur. This reflects biologically mediated degradation which is enantiomer selective, though the differences in ER values are subtle given the contrasting behavioral and feeding strategies of the species analyzed. The ecotoxicological risk of MHCH isomers is unknown; but as a result of enantioselective metabolism, the chiral structure of α‐methyl HCH may influence the bioaccumulation and toxicological potential of this group of compounds to marine biota. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Environ Toxicol 14: 397–403, 1999