Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Kupa River, Croatia, Yugoslavia

The presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was investigated in samples of water, suspended particles, sediments and fish from the Kupa river, Croatia, Yugoslavia, along a river stretch extending up to 10 km upstream and 200 km downstream of the primary contaminated karst region. The PCB levels detected in the samples collected downstream ranged from 1 to 52 ng dm−3 for water, from 50 to 190 μg kg−1 for suspended particles and from 8 to 39 μg kg−1 for the sediment. A wide range of PCB concentrations, from 0.1 to 42.3 μg g−1, which were measured in edible portions of different fish confirmed a long-term contamination of the river with PCBs. As the Kupa river may be classified among low to moderately contaminated waters, it is essential that the investigations of the presence and behaviour of PCBs in the river and its environment be continued.