Polychlorinated biphenyls in fresh and canned fish from the Central Adriatic.

By using the GLC method, levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in fresh and canned fish during the 1984-88 period. Forty-six samples of fish caught in the Central Adriatic's littoral, 11 of which in a control, non-industrialized area, and 35 in an urbanized area strongly affected by industry, were collected. Also, 101 samples of canned fish were tested for PCBs. The average PCB values were 0.059 mg kg-1 and 0.287 mg kg-1 in control and polluted areas, respectively; the mean value in canned fish was 0.194 mg kg-1. Although the levels of PCBs in control and industrialized areas were found to differ, the difference was not significant statistically.