Abstract
Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) that are widely used as surfactants and coatings were determined in muscles of crucian carp (Carassius auratus (gibelio) langsdorfii) taken from 14 freshwater areas throughout Japan during 2003-2005.The sampling sites comprised 10 rivers and 4 ponds and were categorized into 4 groups based on local circumstances: large cities, small cities, agricultural areas and remote areas. PFCs were detected in all samples analyzed, and total PFCs concentrations ranged from 1.60 to 30.1 (average: 9.54, median: 8.80) ng/g wet wt. and 167 to 3496 (average: 914, median:645) ng/g lipid wt. The highest concentrations of PFCs were found in fish caught at sites in large cities. Fish in the remote area's had low PFCs concentrations. Branched chain PFC isomers were also detected, although the relative ratios of the straight chains to the branch isomers were different between sampling sites. To obtain maternal transfer rates for the PFCs, female fish were collected from the Murasaki River during the spawning season and their muscles and eggs were analyzed. The maternal transfer rate of PFCs was 9.1%, which is lower than those of hydrophobic substances such as dioxins, organochlorine pesticides and hexabromocyclododecanes. As a result, sexual differences between male and female fish were not found.
