Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls in penguin and south polar skua

This data set examines concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (DFs) and dioxin-like PCBs in the liver of polar bears from the Alaskan Arctic, in the liver of Weddell seals, and in the eggs of Adélie penguins and South Polar skuas. Skua eggs had the highest concentrations of total PCDD/DFs (mean=181 pg g–1), and estimated concentrations of 2378-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents (TEQs) of PCDDs, PCDFs and dioxin-like PCBs in skua eggs (mean=344 pg g–1) were higher than in the liver of polar bears (mean=120 pg g–1). These concentrations were close to values which may cause adverse health effects. The mean value in skua eggs, for instance, was only twofold less than the toxicity threshold value reported for American kestrel eggs .