Spatial variations and temporal trends between 1994 and 2005 in polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides and heavy metals in European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) in Flanders, Belgium

In Flanders, the northern region of Belgium, European yellow eel muscle tissue was used as an indicator of environmental and potential human dietary exposure by hazardous chemicals of surface waters and sediments. Between 1994 and 2005, over 2800 eel captured at 365 stations were analysed for PCBs, pesticides and heavy metals. Contamination of eel in Flanders fell within the range of reported concentrations in other watersheds of Western Europe. A spatial analysis of the data demonstrated that the variation in pollutant concentration tended towards higher values. This was especially evident for PCBs, lindane, endrin, dieldrin and DDE. The concentration of almost all banned substances decreased significantly during the study period.