POPs in the Fat Tissue of Seabirds from King George Island, Antarctica

This datset collected data for chlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in subcutaneous fat samples from Brown skuas, three species of penguins: Adelie (Pygoscelis adeliae); Chinstrap (Pygoscelis Antarctica); and Gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) and opportunistic samples of Antarctic tern (Sterna vittata) Snowy sheathbill (Chionis alba) and Blue-eyed shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps) and concluded again that except for HCHs and HCB, the concentrations of most chlorinated pesticides were significantly higher in skuas than in the other species of birds. In contrast, comparable concentrations of HCB were found in skuas (573±278 ng g-1 lw), penguins (373±177 ng g-1 lw), terns (601±256 ng g-1 lw), shags (161 ng g-1 lw) and sheathbills (282 ng g-1 lw): HCB is a relatively volatile compound that can be transported to cold regions, incorporated into the food chain and accumulated by top species with concentrations comparable to those encountered in areas of application. Due to its high volatility and transport, HCB was even reported to be higher in species restricted to the Antarctica than in species that live in more temperate areas. PAH content (ng g-1 by lipid weight) was similar in all birds with a predominance of naphthalene and alkylnaphthalenes: the most frequently used petroleum derivative in the Antarctic is Diesel Fuel Arctic (DFA), which has a predominance of naphthalenes and alkylated naphthalenes. Therefore, the ingestion of these 56 analytes either from food or during preening can be considered the primary source of PAHs for birds.