Legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in archive samples of wild Bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean Sea.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were quantified in archive samples of dorsal white muscle of the wild Bluefin tuna (BFT) (n = 9) collected in the central Adriatic. PCBs were the predominant organochlorine (OC) compounds (60.8-69.4% of the total OC load) found. The contribution of HCB and ΣHCHs was significantly lower, ranging from <LOD (α- and β-HCH) to 1.5% (γ-HCH). p,p'-DDE was the predominant OCP compound (60-89% of the ΣOCPs). PCB and DDT levels were comparable to the values previously found for tuna from the Mediterranean Sea, known as one of the areas most polluted by PCBs.