Monitoring of environmental contaminants in freshwater food webs (MILFERSK), 2024 Overvåkning av miljøgifter i ferskvann (MILFERSK), 2024

This report presents data from the fourth year of a five-year period of the MILFERSK program. In 2024, the monitoring program focused on the sampling and analysis of the benthic food chain in Lake Mjøsa, encompassing the following sample types: Chironomids, Ruffe, Perch, Pike and the stomach contents of ruffe. Additionally, brown trout from the pelagic zone in Lake Mjøsa were collected and analyzed, with the contaminant levels compared to samples of brown trout from the reference lake, Femunden. The concentrations of 175 individual compounds/isomers were determined, with frequent detections of specific per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), mercury (Hg), and siloxanes exhibiting biomagnifying properties throughout the food chain. Certain contaminants, such as quaternary ammonium compounds, were found in higher concentrations in sediment and lower trophic levels. Concentrations of chlorinated paraffins (CPs), particularly medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) were higher in chironomids, ruffe, and the livers of perch and pike, compared to levels observed in 2021 and 2022, with an increase up the food chain in 2024. A slight downward trend in perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentrations was observed in Lake Mjøsa from 2014 – 2024. Additionally, a lower length-adjusted mercury concentration was noted for brown trout in Lake Mjøsa during the period from 2015 to 2024, compared to the preceding nine years (2006 – 2014).