Contaminants in biota and bird eggs dataset in support of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Descriptor 8 (D08C01, 2018 Reporting)

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 1. This dataset describes the contaminant concentrations in biota. The priority substances mercury, hexachlorobutadiene and hexachlorobenzene are measured in mussels and flounder in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (BPNS). Results for other parameters that are part of the OSPAR (Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic) Coordinated Environmental Monitoring Program are also included: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, organotin compounds and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) for the period 2011-2016. The analyses are performed by Instituut voor Landbouw-, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek (ILVO) and RBINS-OD Nature that both participate in the Quasimeme ring tests for additional quality control. Bird eggs of 2008, 2010 and 2015 are measured for mercury (Hg), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). Eggs from the are measured and compared with OSPAR norms Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) are gathered in Zeebrugge and are analyzed by the Insitut für vogelforschung in Wilhelmshaven according to a standard protocol.