NEUTRAL AND PHENOLIC BROMINATED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS OF NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC ORIGIN IN NORTHEAST ATLANTIC GREENLAND SHARK (SOMNIOSUS MICROCEPHALUS)

In the present study muscle and liver tissue from 10 female Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) collected in Icelandic waters were analyzed for neutral and phenolic brominated organic compounds including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and the structurally related methoxylated (MeO) and hydroxylated (OH) PBDEs Hydroxylated PBDEs exist both as natural products and as metabolites of the anthropogenic PBDEs whereas MeO PBDEs appear to exclusively be of natural origin Other compounds examined were 2' 6 dimethoxy 2 3' 4 5' tetrabromodiphenyl ether (2' 6 diMeO BDE68) 2 2' dimethoxy 3 3' 5 5' tetra bromobiphenyl (2 2' diMeO BB80) 2 4 6 tribromoanisol (2 4 6 TBA) and 2 4 6 tribromophenol all of natural origin although 2 4 6 TBA and its phenolic counterpart may also be of anthropogenic origin The major brominated organic compound was 6 MeO BDE47 and Sigma MeO PBDE ranged from 49 to 210 ng/g fat in muscle and from 55 to 200 ng/g fat in liver tissue Total concentrations of PBDEs were lower than Sigma MeO PBDE in all but one sample ranging between 7 3 to 190 and 9 9 10 200 ng/g fat in muscle and liver respectively and major congeners were BDE-47 BDE 99 and BDE 100 Polybrominated diphenyl ethers were analyzed using both high and low resolution mass spectrometry (MS) as a quality assurance and the results from this comparison were acceptable En accordance with previous work on Greenland sharks no size/age related accumulation was observed Differences seen in concentrations were Instead assumed to be a reflection of different feeding habits among the individuals Phenolic compounds were only formed/retained in trace amounts in the Greenland shark Among the phenolic compounds studied were 6 OH BDE47 2' OH BDE68 and 2 4 6 tribromophenol all detected in liver and the latter two in muscle Environ Toxicol Chem 2010 29 2653-2659 (C) 2010 SETAC