Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41565839›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Presence, levels, and distribution of organic and elemental pollutants in Zooplankton from the Northwestern Mediterranean sea.

Ginevra Boldrocchi, Benedetta Villa, Davide Banfi, Damiano Monticelli, Jan Pachner, Laura Basaglia, Carlotta Santolini, Giulia Liguori, Gaia Bolla, Maristella Mastore and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Ginevra BoldrocchiDepartment of Human Sciences, Innovation and Territory, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como, Italy. ginevra.boldrocchi@uninsubria.it.
Benedetta VillaDepartment of Science and High Technology, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como, Italy.
Davide BanfiDepartment of Human Sciences, Innovation and Territory, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como, Italy.
Damiano MonticelliDepartment of Science and High Technology, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como, Italy.
Jan PachnerOne Ocean Foundation, Via Gesù 10, 20121, Milan, Italy.
Laura BasagliaOne Ocean Foundation, Via Gesù 10, 20121, Milan, Italy.
Carlotta SantoliniOne Ocean Foundation, Via Gesù 10, 20121, Milan, Italy.
Giulia LiguoriOne Ocean Foundation, Via Gesù 10, 20121, Milan, Italy.
Gaia BollaDepartment of Science and High Technology, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como, Italy.
Maristella MastoreCRIETT, University of Insubria, 21100, Varese, Italy.
Cristina CortiCRIETT, University of Insubria, 21100, Varese, Italy.
Rosalia PernaDepartment of Science and High Technology, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como, Italy.
Roberta BettinettiDepartment of Human Sciences, Innovation and Territory, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as the legacy contaminants polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs), as well as trace elements (TEs) pose a significant risk to marine ecosystems due to their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulative nature. Despite regulatory bans, PCBs and DDTs continue to be detected in the marine environment, while TEs levels remain conspicuous as a result of both natural and anthropogenic sources. In this study, we investigated the presence, concentrations, and spatial distribution of 32 PCB congeners, 6 DDT compounds, and 16 TEs in zooplankton collected from 40 sites across the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Results revealed widespread contamination, with PCBs detected in all samples (53.2 ± 63.0 ng g-1 dw) and DDTs present in over half the samples (5.1 ± 6.0 ng g-1 dw). Hotspots of POPs contamination were identified near Marseille, and in the wider Gulf of Lion, Barcelona, and the Ebro River mouth. All TEs were detected in zooplankton, with high concentrations of essential TEs, but also elevated levels of toxic elements such as Hg, Pb, and Cd in certain locations such as Barcelona, the Gulf of Lion, Balearic Islands, and southwestern Corsica. Spatial patterns of contamination were strongly linked to urban, industrial, riverine, and historical mining inputs. These results underline the important role of zooplankton as bioindicators for assessing pollutant transfer at the base of the marine food web. They also highlight the urgent need for integrated, long-term monitoring strategies to better understand contaminant dynamics and mitigate ecological risks in the Mediterranean Sea.

Indexed as

Persistent Organic PollutantsTrace ElementsWater Pollutants, ChemicalZooplanktonAnimalsDDTEnvironmental MonitoringMediterranean SeaPolychlorinated BiphenylsDDTPersistent Organic PollutantsPolychlorinated BiphenylsTrace ElementsWater Pollutants, ChemicalBioaccumulationHgMetalsPCBsPersistent organic pollutantsPlanktonWestern Mediterranean Sea

Identifiers

PMID41565839
PMCPMC12868838

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.