Octachlorostyrene in bream from the Upper Elbe

Significant decrease in contamination since the early 1990s

Octachlorostyrene is a by-product occuring in the synthesis of chlorinated compounds. It is environmentally persistent, accumulates in organisms and enriches in the food web.

In the early 1990s high octachlorostyrene levels were detected in bream from the Elbe sampling sites Prossen near the German-Czech border and Zehren downstream of Dresden. At both sites contamination of bream has decreased significantly since then.

Fig. 1: Octachlorostyrene in bream muscle from the Upper Elbe sampling sites Prossen and Zehren

Updated at: 2022-01-11

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