The distribution characteristics and pollution assessment of DDTs residues in tissues of ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens)collected from Honghai Bay, Guangdong Province, China

The residues of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDTs) in tissues of ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens) collected from Honghai Bay, Guangdong province, China was analyzed by gas chromatography. The test system was composed of Agilent 6890 N gas chromatography, a DB-1701 capillary column (30 m×0.32 mm×0.25 μm), and a ⁶³Ni micro electric capture detector. The results showed that contents of ∑DDT (pp′-DDT, pp′-DDE, pp′-DDD and op-DDT) ranged from 15.2 to 177.1 μg ·kg^-1 (wet weight), and positively related to lipid content in different tissues (R=0.9968, P < 0.01).The ∑DDT contents in tissues from high to low were blubber, liver, stomach, heart, kidney, muscle, pancreas and lung. Compared with other cetaceans in different waters, the content level of ∑DDT in the blubber of this whale sample was relatively low and harmless. The average ratio of DDE/∑DDT, pp′-DDT/op-DDT were equal to 0.27 and 5.7, respectively, which indicated that DDT might be newly imported to Honghai Bay, possibly through the use of DDT-contained chemicals and the release of DDT residue from the environment.