Identification of organic sulfur compounds transferred to fish from petroleum suspension.

The authors attempted to determine if the organic sulfur compounds usually contained in a crude oil could serve as a marker of oil pollution in fish. Eels (Anguilla Japonica Temminck et Schlegel) were maintained in a controlled laboratory environment of water with a suspension of crude oil. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and mass chromatography of eel flesh extract showed the presence of organic sulfur compounds of alkyl-(from mono- to pentametyl) benzothiophenes, dibenzothiophene and alkyl-(from mono- to trimethyl) dibenzothiophenes, and other organic sulfur compounds of alkyl-(from mono- to pentamethyl) naphthalenes.