Siloxanes in the environment of the inner Oslofjord.

Abstract

In order to confirm the high concentrations of cyclic siloxanes measured in cod liver from Inner Oslofjord and to gain a broader overview on the siloxane contamination of the Inner Oslofjord new samples of sewage water and sludge, sea water, sediments and biota were taken. As in the Nordic screening project siloxanes were found in all analyzed matrix with the exception of sea water. The concentration in sediments from Inner Oslofjord are higher than for most of the urban samples measured in the Nordic study. All marine biota from the Inner Oslofjord show measurable concentrations of cyclic siloxanes. In the Nordic screening study a pooled sample of cod liver from Inner Oslofjod showed highly elevated concentrations especially of D5. New samples of cod liver were taken showing the same level of contamination. The analysis of stomach content taken from the same cod samples showed slightly lower concentrations, in other organisms at a lower trophic level the concentrations were much lower.