Study of the accumulation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Siganus rivulatus from Latakia city (Syria)

This research focused on determining the concentrations of some polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in marine water and muscle tissue of a type of saltwater fish for human consumption ( Siganus rivulatus ), which were collected in the summer and winter of 2022 in two locations in Latakia city beach (Sports City - South Corniche) using gas chromatography technology GC/MS. The results of this study showed that these areas are affected by polychlorinated biphenyls, which shows the continuous arrival of these combinations into the marine environment as a result of tourism activities, urban construction, sewage channels for homes and restaurants, or movement through river waters that flow directly into these areas. The total concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the water of the studied areas ranged between 22.1037 µg/l and 46.553 µg/l, with the highest value recorded in the South Corniche region during the summer, which was for the combination PCB-101 and amounted to 14.004 µg/l, in contrast the lowest value was recorded in In the Sports City area during the winter, the PCB-151 combination reached 0.0447 µg/l. The total concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls in the muscle tissue of the studied fish ranged between 61.2154 µg/g and 67.9369 µg/g, with the highest value recorded in the Sports City area during the summer, which was for the combination PCB-199 and amounted to 40.44 µg/g, in contrast the lowest value was recorded. In the southern Corniche area during the winter, the combination PCB-138 reached 0.492 µg/g. The correlation association that was studied between the lengths of the studied fish and the total concentration of PCBs indicated the presence of a significant positive association, R = 0.78. This shows an increase in the concentration of PCBs with the age of the fish, which shows an activity in the arrival of these pollutants into the marine environment.