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Griffin ML, Bryan CE, Cox TM, Balmer BC, Day RD, Garcia Barcia L, Gorgone AM, Kiszka JJ, Litz JA, Perrtree RM, Rowles TK, Schwacke LH, Wells RS, Zolman E. Spatial Variation in Mercury Accumulation in Bottlenose Dolphins ( Tursiops spp.) in Southeastern U.S.A. Toxics 2024; 12:327. [PMID: 38787106 DOI: 10.3390/toxics12050327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) inhabit bays, sounds, and estuaries (BSEs) throughout the southeast region of the U.S.A. and are sentinel species for human and ecosystem-level health. Dolphins are vulnerable to the bioaccumulation of contaminants through the coastal food chain because they are high-level predators. Currently, there is limited information on the spatial dynamics of mercury accumulation in these dolphins. Total mercury (THg) was measured in dolphin skin from multiple populations across the U.S. Southeast Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, and the influence of geographic origin, sex, and age class was investigated. Mercury varied significantly among sampling sites and was greatest in dolphins in St. Joseph Bay, Florida Everglades, and Choctawhatchee Bay (14,193 ng/g ± 2196 ng/g, 10,916 ng/g ± 1532 ng/g, and 7333 ng/g ± 1405 ng/g wet mass (wm), respectively) and lowest in dolphins in Charleston and Skidaway River Estuary (509 ng/g ± 32.1 ng/g and 530 ng/g ± 58.4 ng/g wm, respectively). Spatial mercury patterns were consistent regardless of sex or age class. Bottlenose dolphin mercury exposure can effectively represent regional trends and reflect large-scale atmospheric mercury input and local biogeochemical processes. As a sentinel species, the bottlenose dolphin data presented here can direct future studies to evaluate mercury exposure to human residents in St. Joseph Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, and Florida Coastal Everglades, as well as additional sites with similar geographical, oceanographic, or anthropogenic parameters. These data may also inform state and federal authorities that establish fish consumption advisories to determine if residents in these locales are at heightened risk for mercury toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie L Griffin
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Savannah State University, Savannah, GA 31404, USA
| | - Colleen E Bryan
- Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
| | - Tara M Cox
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Savannah State University, Savannah, GA 31404, USA
| | - Brian C Balmer
- Conservation Medicine, National Marine Mammal Foundation, Charleston, SC 29405, USA
| | - Russell D Day
- Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
- Marine Science and Nautical Training Academy, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
| | - Laura Garcia Barcia
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Biscayne Bay Campus, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Antoinette M Gorgone
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL 33149, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA
| | - Jeremy J Kiszka
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Biscayne Bay Campus, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Jenny A Litz
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL 33149, USA
| | - Robin M Perrtree
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Savannah State University, Savannah, GA 31404, USA
| | - Teri K Rowles
- Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Lori H Schwacke
- Conservation Medicine, National Marine Mammal Foundation, Charleston, SC 29405, USA
- Marine Mammal Commission, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Randall S Wells
- Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, c/o Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA
| | - Eric Zolman
- Conservation Medicine, National Marine Mammal Foundation, Charleston, SC 29405, USA
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2
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Xuereb N, Ólafsdóttir K, Samarra F, Svavarsson J, Magnúsdóttir EE. POPs in long-finned pilot whales mass stranded in Iceland as a proxy for their physiological condition. Mar Pollut Bull 2023; 197:115758. [PMID: 37979533 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
Long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) are the most frequently stranded cetaceans in the world; however, the predominant drivers of these events are poorly understood. In this study the levels of persistent organic pollutants from pilot whales stranded in North-east Iceland were quantified and compared to historical data and physical parameters to investigate whether contaminant load may have influenced the physiological state of stranded individuals, how these loads fluctuate with sex and age group, and if this is consistent with the literature. Historical comparison was also carried out to discern how pollutant contamination has changed throughout the past few decades. DDE, transnonachlor and PCB-153 were the top three pollutants respectively. The accumulation of POPs was greater on average in immature individuals than adults, whilst among adults, males had higher concentration than females. Moreover, despite an indication of decreasing POP loads throughout the years, knowledge of harmful thresholds remains exceedingly limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholai Xuereb
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Askja, Sturlugata 7, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland.
| | - Kristín Ólafsdóttir
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Iceland, Hofsvallagata 53, 107 Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Filipa Samarra
- University of Iceland's Institute of Research Centers, Ægisgata 2, 900 Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
| | - Jörundur Svavarsson
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Askja, Sturlugata 7, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Edda Elísabet Magnúsdóttir
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Askja, Sturlugata 7, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland; Faculty of Subject Teacher Education, University of Iceland, Askja, Sturlugata 7, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland
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3
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Falahudin D, Herandarudewi SMC, Hukom FD, Arifin Z, Wulandari I, Sudaryanto A, Hoang AQ, Watanabe I, Takahashi S. The first full-congener analysis of 209 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the blubber of short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) stranded along the coast of Savu Island, Indonesia. Sci Total Environ 2023; 879:163008. [PMID: 36966839 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Short-finned pilot whales (SFPW) are a group of cetaceans found globally in tropical and temperate seas and are commonly stranded in the group, but the reason behind their stranding is still unknown. No detailed information on the contamination status and bioaccumulation of halogenated organic compounds, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in the SFPW from Indonesian waters has been reported. Therefore, we analyzed all 209 PCB congeners in the blubber of 20 SFPW specimens stranded along the coast of Savu Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, in October 2012 to explain the status of contamination, congener profiles, potential risk of PCBs to cetaceans, and the determination of unintentionally produced PCBs (u-PCBs) in the blubber of SFPW. Concentrations of Σ209PCBs, Σ7in-PCBs, Σ12dl-PCBs, and Σ21u-PCBs were between 48 and 490 (mean:240 ± 140), 22-230 (110 ± 60), 2.6-38 (17 ± 10), and 1.0-13 (6.3 ± 3.7) ng g-1 lipid weight (lw), respectively. Congener-specific profiles of PCBs among sex and estimated age groups were observed; relatively high proportions of tri-to penta-CBs in juveniles and highly chlorinated recalcitrant congeners in structure-activity groups (SAGs) in sub-adult females were noted. The estimated toxic equivalency (TEQs) value for dl-PCBs ranged from 2.2 to 60 TEQWHO pg/g lw, with juveniles containing high TEQ values than sub-adults and adults. Although the TEQs and concentrations of PCBs in SFPW stranded along Indonesian coasts were lower than those reported for similar whale species from other North Pacific regions, further research is needed to assess the long-term impact of halogenated organic pollutants on their survival and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dede Falahudin
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Ehime University, 3-5-7 Tarumi, Matsuyama 790-8566, Japan; Center of Advanced Technology for the Environment (CATE), Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3-5-7 Tarumi, Matsuyama 790-8566, Japan; Research Center for Oceanography, National Research and Innovation Agency, Pasir Putih 1, Ancol Timur, Jakarta 14430, Indonesia
| | - Sekar M C Herandarudewi
- Research Center for Oceanography, National Research and Innovation Agency, Pasir Putih 1, Ancol Timur, Jakarta 14430, Indonesia
| | - Frensly Demianus Hukom
- Research Center for Oceanography, National Research and Innovation Agency, Pasir Putih 1, Ancol Timur, Jakarta 14430, Indonesia
| | - Zainal Arifin
- Research Center for Oceanography, National Research and Innovation Agency, Pasir Putih 1, Ancol Timur, Jakarta 14430, Indonesia
| | - Ita Wulandari
- Research Center for Oceanography, National Research and Innovation Agency, Pasir Putih 1, Ancol Timur, Jakarta 14430, Indonesia
| | - Agus Sudaryanto
- Research Center for Environmental and Clean Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Building 820 KST BJ. Habibie, Serpong 15314, Banten, Indonesia
| | - Anh Quoc Hoang
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science, Vietnam National University, 19 Le Thanh Tong, Hanoi 11000, Viet Nam
| | - Isao Watanabe
- Center of Advanced Technology for the Environment (CATE), Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3-5-7 Tarumi, Matsuyama 790-8566, Japan
| | - Shin Takahashi
- Center of Advanced Technology for the Environment (CATE), Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3-5-7 Tarumi, Matsuyama 790-8566, Japan; Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan.
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4
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Simond AÉ, Ross PS, Cabrol J, Lesage V, Lair S, Woudneh MB, Yang D, Peng H, Colbourne K, Brown TM. Declining concentrations of chlorinated paraffins in endangered St. Lawrence Estuary belugas (Delphinapterus leucas): Response to regulations or a change in diet? Sci Total Environ 2023; 868:161488. [PMID: 36626992 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Very high levels of industrial contaminants in St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE) beluga whales represent one of the major threats to this population classified as endangered under the Species at Risk Act in Canada. Elevated concentrations of short-chained chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) were recently reported in blubber of adult male SLE belugas. Recent regulations for SCCPs in North America, combined with their replacement by medium- (MCCPs) and long-chained chlorinated paraffins (LCCPs), highlight the importance of tracking this toxic chemical class. The objectives of this study were to evaluate (1) levels and profiles of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in samples obtained from carcasses of adult male, adult female, juvenile, newborn, and fetus beluga, and (2) trends in adult male belugas between 1997 and 2018. Factors potentially influencing CP temporal trends such as age, feeding ecology and sampling year were also explored. SCCPs dominated (64 to 100%) total CP concentrations across all age and sex classes, MCCPs accounted for the remaining proportion of total CPs, and LCCPs were not detected in any sample. The chlorinated paraffin homolog that dominated the most in beluga blubber was C12Cl8. Adult male SCCP concentrations from this study were considerably lower (> 2000-fold) than those recently reported in Simond et al. (2020), likely reflecting a previously erroneous overestimate due to the lack of a suitable analytical method for SCCPs at the time. Both SCCPs and total CPs declined over time in adult males in our study (rate of 1.67 and 1.33% per year, respectively), presumably due in part to the implementation of regulations in 2012. However, there is a need to better understand the possible contribution of a changing diet to contaminant exposure, as stable isotopic ratios of carbon also changed over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine É Simond
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Science Enterprise Center, 4160 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC V7V 1N6, Canada; Simon Fraser University, Pacific Science Enterprise Centre, 4160 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC V7V 1N6, Canada.
| | - Peter S Ross
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, W̱SÁNEĆ Territory, P.O. Box 2429, Sidney, BC V8L 3Y3, Canada.
| | - Jory Cabrol
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, P.O. Box 1000, 850 Route de la Mer, Mont-Joli, QC G5H 3Z4, Canada.
| | - Véronique Lesage
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, P.O. Box 1000, 850 Route de la Mer, Mont-Joli, QC G5H 3Z4, Canada.
| | - Stéphane Lair
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3200 rue Sicotte, St Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada.
| | - Million B Woudneh
- SGS AXYS Analytical Services Ltd., 2045 Mills Road West, Sydney, BC V8L 5X2, Canada.
| | - Diwen Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada.
| | - Hui Peng
- School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada; School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada.
| | - Katerina Colbourne
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Science Enterprise Center, 4160 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC V7V 1N6, Canada.
| | - Tanya M Brown
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Science Enterprise Center, 4160 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC V7V 1N6, Canada; Simon Fraser University, Pacific Science Enterprise Centre, 4160 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC V7V 1N6, Canada.
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5
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Hayes KRR, Ylitalo GM, Anderson TA, Urbán
R. J, Jacobsen JK, Scordino JJ, Lang AR, Baugh KA, Bolton JL, Brüniche-Olsen A, Calambokidis J, Martínez-Aguilar S, Subbiah S, Gribble MO, Godard-Codding CAJ. Influence of Life-History Parameters on Persistent Organic Pollutant Concentrations in Blubber of Eastern North Pacific Gray Whales ( Eschrichtius robustus). Environ Sci Technol 2022; 56:17119-17130. [PMID: 36346717 PMCID: PMC9730851 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can significantly impact marine mammal health, reproduction, and fitness. This study addresses a significant 20-year gap in gray whale contaminant monitoring through analysis of POPs in 120 blubber biopsies. The scope of this substantial sample set is noteworthy in its range and diversity with collection between 2003 and 2017 along North America's west coast and across diverse sex, age, and reproductive parameters, including paired mothers and calves. Mean blubber concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (∑PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (∑DDTs), and chlordanes (∑CHLs) generally decreased since previous reports (1968-1999). This is the first report of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and select hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) in this species. Statistical modeling of the 19 most frequently detected compounds in this dataset revealed sex-, age-, and reproductive status-related patterns, predominantly attributed to maternal offloading. Mean POP concentrations differed significantly by sex in adults (17 compounds, up to 3-fold higher in males) but not in immatures (all 19 compounds). Mean POP concentrations were significantly greater in adults versus immatures in both males (17 compounds, up to 12-fold) and females (13 compounds, up to 3-fold). POP concentrations were detected with compound-specific patterns in nursing calves, confirming maternal offloading for the first time in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kia R. R. Hayes
- The
Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
- Environmental
and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center,
National Marine Fisheries Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington 98112, United States
- Ocean
Associates, Inc., Arlington, Virginia 22207, United States
| | - Gina M. Ylitalo
- Environmental
and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center,
National Marine Fisheries Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington 98112, United States
| | - Todd A. Anderson
- The
Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
| | - Jorge Urbán
R.
- Departamento
de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad
Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, BCS 23085, Mexico
| | | | - Jonathan J. Scordino
- Marine Mammal
Program, Makah Fisheries Management, Makah Tribe, Neah Bay, Washington 98357, United States
| | - Aimee R. Lang
- Ocean
Associates, Inc., Arlington, Virginia 22207, United States
- Southwest
Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Keri A. Baugh
- Environmental
and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center,
National Marine Fisheries Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington 98112, United States
| | - Jennie L. Bolton
- Environmental
and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center,
National Marine Fisheries Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington 98112, United States
| | - Anna Brüniche-Olsen
- Department
of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue
University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - John Calambokidis
- Cascadia
Research Collective, Olympia, Washington 98501, United States
| | - Sergio Martínez-Aguilar
- Departamento
de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad
Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, BCS 23085, Mexico
| | - Seenivasan Subbiah
- The
Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
| | - Matthew O. Gribble
- Department
of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at
Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United
States
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Bartalini A, Muñoz-Arnanz J, García-Álvarez N, Fernández A, Jiménez B. Global PBDE contamination in cetaceans. A critical review. Environ Pollut 2022; 308:119670. [PMID: 35752394 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This review summarizes the most relevant information on PBDEs' occurrence and their impacts in cetaceans at global scale, with special attention on the species with the highest reported levels and therefore the most potentially impacted by the current and continuous release of these substances. This review also emphasizes the anthropogenic and environmental factors that could increase concentrations and associated risks for these species in the next future. High PBDE concentrations above the toxicity threshold and stationary trends have been related to continuous import of PBDE-containing products in cetaceans of Brazil and Australia, where PBDEs have never been produced. Non-decreasing levels documented in cetaceans from the Northwest Pacific Ocean might be linked to the increased e-waste import and ongoing production and use of deca-BDE that is still allowed in China. Moreover, high levels of PBDEs in some endangered species such as beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in St. Lawrence Estuary and Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus Orca) are influenced by the discharge of contaminated waters deriving from wastewater treatment plants. Climate change related processes such as enhanced long-range transport, re-emissions from secondary sources and shifts in migration habits could lead to greater exposure and accumulation of PBDEs in cetaceans, above all in those species living in the Arctic. In addition, increased rainfall could carry greater amount of contaminants to the marine environment, thereby, enhancing the exposure and accumulation especially for coastal species. Synergic effects of all these factors and ongoing emissions of PBDEs, expected to continue at least until 2050, could increase the degree of exposure and menace for cetacean populations. In this regard, it is necessary to improve current regulations on PBDEs and broader the knowledge about their toxicological effects, in order to assess health risks and support regulatory protection for cetacean species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Bartalini
- Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Organic Chemistry (IQOG-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006, Madrid, Spain; Unit of Histology and Pathology, Institute of Animal Health (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas, 35413 Arucas, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Juan Muñoz-Arnanz
- Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Organic Chemistry (IQOG-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Natalia García-Álvarez
- Unit of Histology and Pathology, Institute of Animal Health (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas, 35413 Arucas, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Antonio Fernández
- Unit of Histology and Pathology, Institute of Animal Health (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas, 35413 Arucas, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Begoña Jiménez
- Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Organic Chemistry (IQOG-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006, Madrid, Spain
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7
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Houser DS, Champagne CD, Wasser SK, Booth RK, Romano T, Crocker DE. Influence of season, age, sex, and time of day on the endocrine profile of the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 313:113889. [PMID: 34425086 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Understanding baseline hormone levels, the magnitude of intra-individual variability, and their variation as a function of life history is difficult in toothed whales (e.g. dolphins and porpoises) because of the effects of capture stress. To determine the endocrine profile of the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) as a function of season, time of day (TOD), age, sex, and reproductive status, blood corticosteroids, thyroid hormones, and catecholamines were repeatedly measured in a managed-care population exposed to ambient light and water temperatures of San Diego Bay. Additionally, fecal hormone metabolites were assessed for cortisol, aldosterone, and triiodothyronine. Samples were collected at two to four-week intervals over a period of two years, and multiple times within a day at monthly intervals over a year. Samples were collected through the voluntary participation of the dolphins in the blood draws and fecal collections in order to avoid the effects of handling stress. All serum hormones except aldosterone significantly varied with season and all serum hormones except total thyroxine significantly varied as a function of TOD. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites significantly correlated with circulating cortisol levels, and there was a significant seasonal effect on triiodothyronine fecal metabolites. Strong seasonal effects demonstrated complex interactions with age and sex suggesting that contextual information is critical to interpreting differences in endocrine profiles. Strong circadian patterns further suggest that sampling design is important to the interpretation of blood or fecal collections, particularly since diurnal changes in some serum hormone levels are similar to the magnitude of seasonal differences. Despite potential impacts of feeding schedules on diurnal patterns, managed care populations can provide important insights into seasonal and age-related endocrine changes in toothed whales.
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Affiliation(s)
- D S Houser
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92106, USA.
| | - C D Champagne
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92106, USA
| | - S K Wasser
- Center for Conservation Biology, Box 351800, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - R K Booth
- Center for Conservation Biology, Box 351800, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - T Romano
- Mystic Aquarium, 55 Coogan Blvd, Mystic, CT 06355, USA
| | - D E Crocker
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, 1801 E. Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, USA
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8
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Zhang X, Zhan F, Yu RQ, Sun X, Wu Y. Bioaccumulation of legacy organic contaminants in pregnant Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis): Unique features on the transplacental transfer. Sci Total Environ 2021; 785:147287. [PMID: 33933771 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The placental transfer and congener composition of organic contaminants (OCs) in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins have been little studied. In the present study, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 18 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and 28 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were analyzed in muscle, lung, liver, kidney, and blubber tissues from three mother-fetus pairs of this species stranded along the Pearl River Estuary, China. For PCBs, tetra-, penta-, hexa-, and hepta-chlorobenzene congeners were dominant in all the analyzed samples. Among them, hexachlorobenzene congeners showed the highest level in most dolphin mother-fetus tissue samples. The concentrations of PCBs and OCPs in adult females were higher in the detoxification organs (liver and kidneys) than in the muscles and lungs, whereas muscle tissues in fetuses generally exhibited higher PCBs and OCPs levels than the livers and kidneys. The most abundant PAHs in the four tissues were those with lower molecular weights, which were also the most water-soluble and bioavailable. Negative correlations between the octanol/water partition coefficients (log KOW) and the fetus/mother ratios for PCB congeners revealed that the transfer of PCBs may be determined by their lipid solubility. OCPs and PCBs with low molecular weights and low log KOW values would be more likely to accumulate in the dolphin liver, lung, kidney and muscle tissues. Furthermore, OCs with low molecular weights and low log KOW values were more concentrated in the fetal blubber, lung, and liver tissues than in their respective mothers. The ubiquitous existence of OCs in the mother-fetus pairs strongly suggested that these contaminants could pass through the placenta and partition in fetal tissue. The high transfer efficiency of PAHs and PCBs indicated that the placenta might not be an efficient barrier for these pollutants. PCBs levels in both mother and fetus dolphins could cause immunosuppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyang Zhang
- School of Marine Sciences, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial, Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519082, China, Pearl River Estuary Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Ministry of Education, Zhuhai 519082, China
| | - Fengping Zhan
- School of Marine Sciences, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial, Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519082, China, Pearl River Estuary Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Ministry of Education, Zhuhai 519082, China
| | - Ri-Qing Yu
- Department of Biology, Center for Environment, Biodiversity and Conservation, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX, United States
| | - Xian Sun
- School of Marine Sciences, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial, Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519082, China, Pearl River Estuary Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Ministry of Education, Zhuhai 519082, China.
| | - Yuping Wu
- School of Marine Sciences, Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial, Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519082, China, Pearl River Estuary Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Ministry of Education, Zhuhai 519082, China.
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9
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Mosites E, Rodriguez E, Caudill SP, Hennessy TW, Berner J. A comparison of individual-level vs. hypothetically pooled mercury biomonitoring data from the Maternal Organics Monitoring Study (MOMS), Alaska, 1999-2012. Int J Circumpolar Health 2020; 79:1726256. [PMID: 32039659 PMCID: PMC7034428 DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2020.1726256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomonitoring for heavy metals is important to assess health risks, especially in Arctic communities where rural residents rely on locally harvested foods. However, laboratory testing for blood contaminants is expensive and might not be sustainable for long-term monitoring. We assessed whether pooled specimen biomonitoring could be a part of a plan for blood contaminant surveillance among pregnant women in rural Alaska using existing blood mercury level data from three cross sectional studies of pregnant women. We applied a hypothetical pooled specimen template stratified into 8 demographic groups based on age, coastal or inland residence, and pre-pregnancy weight. The hypothetical geometric mean blood mercury levels were similar to the individual-level geometric means. However, the 95% confidence intervals were much wider for the hypothetical geometric means compared to the true geometric means. Although the variability that resulted from pooling specimens using a small sample made it difficult to compare demographic groups to each other, pooled specimen results could be an accurate reflection of the population burden of mercury contamination in the Arctic in the context of large numbers of biomonitoring samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Mosites
- Arctic Investigations Program, Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - Ernesto Rodriguez
- Department of Global Environmental Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Samuel P Caudill
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Thomas W Hennessy
- Arctic Investigations Program, Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - James Berner
- Center for Climate and Health, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage, AK, USA
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10
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Bridges KN, Furin CG, Gerlach RF. Subsistence fish consumption in rural Alaska: Using regional monitoring data to evaluate risk and bioavailability of dietary methylmercury. Sci Total Environ 2020; 736:139676. [PMID: 32497892 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
On average, Alaskans in rural communities consume over three times the Federally recommended maximum weekly fish ingestion rate (IR), the overwhelming majority of which is Pacific salmon. Results of statewide monitoring efforts consistently show that Pacific salmon from Alaska have low concentrations of mercury, yet concerns regarding dietary exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) and other aquatic contaminants continue to contribute to declining subsistence fish consumption rates in rural communities. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to use statewide biomonitoring datasets and regional fish IRs to quantitatively evaluate potential risk from dietary MeHg exposure via subsistence consumption of salmon from Alaska. Hazard Indices (HIs) did not exceed 1 for any of the groups evaluated, indicating negligible risk for the average Alaskan subsistence consumer. Selenium health benefit values (HBVSe) of various fish species from AK were also calculated, with positive results for all commonly consumed subsistence species. Additionally, mercury concentrations in the hair of Alaskan women were evaluated as a proxy for dietary MeHg exposure. Results reveal that Alaskan women of childbearing age have substantially lower hair Hg concentrations than their counterparts in other large-scale biomonitoring studies, despite similar fish IRs. Collectively, results of the present study suggest that MeHg in Pacific salmon does not pose an unacceptable hazard for the average subsistence consumer in Alaska.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin N Bridges
- Alaska Division of Public Health, Section of Epidemiology, 3601 C Street Ste. 540, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States of America; Geosyntec Consultants, 3003 Minnesota Dr. Ste. 302, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States of America; Alaska Pacific University, 4101 University Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508, United States of America.
| | - Christoff G Furin
- Division of Environmental Health, Office of The State Veterinarian, 5251 Dr. MLK Jr. Ave., Anchorage, AK 99507, United States of America
| | - Robert F Gerlach
- Division of Environmental Health, Office of The State Veterinarian, 5251 Dr. MLK Jr. Ave., Anchorage, AK 99507, United States of America
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11
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Bolton JL, Ylitalo GM, Chittaro P, George JC, Suydam R, Person BT, Gates JB, Baugh KA, Sformo T, Stimmelmayr R. Multi-year assessment (2006-2015) of persistent organic pollutant concentrations in blubber and muscle from Western Arctic bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), North Slope, Alaska. Mar Pollut Bull 2020; 151:110857. [PMID: 32056639 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Blubber and muscle were collected from male bowhead whales (n = 71) landed near Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska, between 2006 and 2015 and analyzed for lipid content and concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in order to determine levels and trends over the collection period. Collection year was a significant predictor of blubber concentrations for most classes of POPs, while for a few classes, animal length (proxy for age) was also a significant predictor. This is the first report on levels of PBDEs in bowhead whales; concentrations of these compounds are low (≤55 ng/g wet weight). Blubber concentrations were lower than those reported in samples collected between 1992 and 2000, and many POP classes in blubber declined significantly between 2006 and 2015. Concentrations of POPs in bowhead whale tissues, which are subsistence foods for Native Alaskan communities, appear to be declining at rates comparable with previously reported temporal trends in Arctic biota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennie L Bolton
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA.
| | - Gina M Ylitalo
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - Paul Chittaro
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - J Craig George
- Department of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough, Box 69, Utqiaġvik (Barrow), AK 99723, USA
| | - Robert Suydam
- Department of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough, Box 69, Utqiaġvik (Barrow), AK 99723, USA
| | - Brian T Person
- Department of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough, Box 69, Utqiaġvik (Barrow), AK 99723, USA
| | - Jonelle B Gates
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - Keri A Baugh
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - Todd Sformo
- Department of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough, Box 69, Utqiaġvik (Barrow), AK 99723, USA; Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7000, USA
| | - Raphaela Stimmelmayr
- Department of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough, Box 69, Utqiaġvik (Barrow), AK 99723, USA; Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7000, USA
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12
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Aznar-alemany Ò, Eljarrat E. Bioavailability and Bioaccumulation of Pyrethroid Insecticides in Wildlife and Humans. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/698_2020_466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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13
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Backer LC, Bolton B, Litz JA, Trevillian J, Kieszak S, Kucklick J. Environmental contaminants in coastal populations: Comparisons with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and resident dolphins. Sci Total Environ 2019; 696:134041. [PMID: 32636572 PMCID: PMC7340099 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People living in coastal communities are at risk for exposure to environmental hazards, including legacy chemicals. We can use databases such as NHANES to assess whether contaminants in coastal communities are present in higher levels than in the United States overall. We can use information from studies of local animal populations to assess which of these contaminants could have been transferred to people from their shared environment. OBJECTIVE Our objectives were to examine the POP profiles in human populations in areas where there are published POP profiles in resident dolphins and to compare our results with data from NHANES and the dolphin studies. METHODS We identified three areas where POPs have been analyzed in local resident dolphin populations (total N =73). We identified human communities in the same areas, and asked 27 eligible adults to read and sign a consent form, complete a questionnaire about demographics and seafood consumption, provide nine 10-mL blood samples, and provide one sample of seafood (N = 33). Blood and seafood were analyzed for a suite of POPs similar to those analyzed in published dolphin population studies. We compared the results from human blood analyses with NHANES and with data from the published reports of dolphin studies. RESULTS Levels and proportions of specific POPs found in people and animals reflect POPs found in the local environment. Compared with the nationally representative data reported in NHANES, the levels of many POPs found in high levels in dolphins were also higher in the corresponding human communities. CONCLUSIONS Contaminants measured in marine animals, such as dolphins, can be used to identify the types and relative levels of environmental contaminants expected to occur in people sharing the same environment. Likewise, contaminants measured in coastal human populations can provide insight into which contaminants may be found in nearby animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorraine C. Backer
- National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Birgit Bolton
- National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- International Trachoma Initiative, The Task Force for Global Health, Decatur, GA, USA
| | | | | | - Stephanie Kieszak
- National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - John Kucklick
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, USA
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14
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Galligan TM, Balmer BC, Schwacke LH, Bolton JL, Quigley BM, Rosel PE, Ylitalo GM, Boggs ASP. Examining the relationships between blubber steroid hormones and persistent organic pollutants in common bottlenose dolphins. Environ Pollut 2019; 249:982-991. [PMID: 31146318 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.03.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Odontocete cetaceans bioaccumulate high concentrations of endocrine disrupting persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethylene (DDE), and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD) - collectively DDTs - but few studies have explored DDTs-mediated endocrine disruption in cetaceans. Herein, we use remotely collected blubber biopsies from common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting a site with high localized DDTs contamination to study the relationships between DDTs exposure and steroid hormone homeostasis in cetaceans. We quantified blubber steroid hormone concentrations by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and blubber POP concentrations by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We detected six steroid hormones in blubber, including progesterone (P4), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP4), androstenedione (AE), testosterone (T), cortisol (F), and cortisone (E). Sampled dolphins (n = 62) exhibited exposure to DDT, DDE, DDD, chlordanes (CHLDs), mirex, dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs). Using principal components analysis (PCA), we determined that blubber DDTs primarily loaded to the first principal component (PC1) explaining 81.6% of the total variance in POP exposure, while the remaining POPs primarily loaded to the PC2 (10.4% of variance). PC1 scores were negatively correlated with blubber T in males and blubber F in females, suggesting that exposure to DDTs impacted androgen and corticosteroid homeostasis. These conclusions were further supported by observed negative correlations between T and o,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDD, and p,p'-DDD in males sampled in the fall, and between F and the six individual DDTs and ∑6DDTs in females. Overall, these results suggest that POP-mediated endocrine disruption may have occurred in this stock of dolphins, which could negatively impact their health and fitness. However, this study relied on uncontrolled incidental exposures, making it impossible to establish a causal relationship between DDTs exposure and endocrine effects. Importantly, this study demonstrates that remotely collected blubber biopsies are a useful matrix for studying endocrine disruption in marine mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M Galligan
- Medical University of South Carolina, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, 310 West Campus Drive, 101 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA.
| | - Brian C Balmer
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 3419 Maybank Highway, Site B, Johns Island, SC, 29455, USA
| | - Lori H Schwacke
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 3419 Maybank Highway, Site B, Johns Island, SC, 29455, USA
| | - Jennie L Bolton
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA, 98112, USA
| | - Brian M Quigley
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 3419 Maybank Highway, Site B, Johns Island, SC, 29455, USA
| | - Patricia E Rosel
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, 646 Cajundome Boulevard, Lafayette, LA, 70506, USA
| | - Gina M Ylitalo
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA, 98112, USA
| | - Ashley S P Boggs
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Rd, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
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15
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Rigét F, Bignert A, Braune B, Dam M, Dietz R, Evans M, Green N, Gunnlaugsdóttir H, Hoydal KS, Kucklick J, Letcher R, Muir D, Schuur S, Sonne C, Stern G, Tomy G, Vorkamp K, Wilson S. Temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants in Arctic marine and freshwater biota. Sci Total Environ 2019; 649:99-110. [PMID: 30172138 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
More than 1000 time-series of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Arctic biota from marine and freshwater ecosystems some extending back to the beginning of 1980s were analyzed using a robust statistical method. The Arctic area encompassed extended from Alaska, USA in the west to northern Scandinavian in the east, with data gaps for Arctic Russia and Arctic Finland. The aim was to investigate whether temporal trends for different animal groups and matrices were consistent across a larger geographical area. In general, legacy POPs showed decreasing concentrations over the last two to three decades, which were most pronounced for α-HCH and least pronounced for HCB and β-HCH. Few time-series of legacy POPs showed increasing trends and only at sites suspected to be influenced by local source. The brominated flame retardant congener BDE-47 showed a typical trend of increasing concentration up to approximately the mid-2000s followed by a decreasing concentration. A similar trend was found for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). These trends are likely related to the relatively recent introduction of national and international controls of hexa- and hepta-BDE congeners and the voluntary phase-out of PFOS production in the USA in 2000. Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) was the only compound in this study showing a consistent increasing trend. Only 12% of the long-term time-series were able to detect a 5% annual change with a statistical power of 80% at α < 0.05. The remaining 88% of time-series need additional years of data collection before fulfilling these statistical requirements. In the case of the organochlorine long-term time-series, 45% of these would require >20 years monitoring before this requirement would be fulfilled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Rigét
- University of Aarhus, Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark; Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, PO Box 570, Nuuk 3900, Greenland.
| | - Anders Bignert
- Dep. of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, PO Box 50 007, S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Birgit Braune
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Raven Road, Ottawa K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Maria Dam
- Environment Agency, Traðagøta 38, P.O. Box 2048, FO-165 Argir, Faroe Islands
| | - Rune Dietz
- University of Aarhus, Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Marlene Evans
- Aquatic Ecosystem Protection Research Division, Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Blvd, Saskatoon, SK S7N 3H5, Canada
| | - Norman Green
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, NO-0349 Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Katrin S Hoydal
- Environment Agency, Traðagøta 38, P.O. Box 2048, FO-165 Argir, Faroe Islands
| | - John Kucklick
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
| | - Robert Letcher
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Raven Road, Ottawa K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Derek Muir
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington L7S 1A1, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stacy Schuur
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
| | - Christian Sonne
- University of Aarhus, Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Gary Stern
- Centre for Earth Observation Sciences (CEOS), Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources, University of Manitoba,586 Wallace Bld, 125 Dysart Rd., Winnipeg R3T 2N2, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Gregg Tomy
- Centre for Oil and Gas Research and Development, University of Manitoba, Department of Chemistry, Winnipeg R3T 2N2, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Katrin Vorkamp
- University of Aarhus, Department of Environmental Science, Arctic Research Centre, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Simon Wilson
- Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) Secretariat, PO Box 8100 Dep., N-0032 Oslo, Norway
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Galligan TM, Schwacke LH, Houser DS, Wells RS, Rowles T, Boggs ASP. Characterization of circulating steroid hormone profiles in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 263:80-91. [PMID: 29627396 PMCID: PMC6668333 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Systemic steroid hormone measurements are often used in the assessment of reproductive, developmental, and stress physiology in vertebrates. In protected wildlife, such as the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), these measures can provide critical information about health and fitness to aid in effective conservation and management. Circulating steroid hormone concentrations are typically measured by immunoassays, which have imperfect specificity and are limited to the measurement of a single hormone per assay. Here we demonstrate that reverse phase solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) allows for the simultaneous, precise (<15% relative standard deviation), and accurate (between 70% and 120% recovery of spiked quantities) measurement of at least seven steroid hormones in dolphin plasma. These seven steroid hormones include three hormones that have been measured previously in bottlenose dolphin blood (progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol) and three hormones which have never been quantified in dolphin blood (17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, cortisone, and corticosterone). While 17β-estradiol was not detected endogenously, we were able to accurately and precisely measure spiked quantities estradiol. Measures from plasma were more precise (i.e., lower RSD) than serum, and thus we recommend plasma as the preferred matrix for this analytical method. In order to facilitate comparison of current and future plasma-based studies to previous serum-based studies, we characterized the relationships between hormone measurements in matched plasma and serum, and found that measurements across matrices are significantly and positively correlated. Lastly, to demonstrate potential applications of this method, we examined how steroid hormone profiles vary by pregnancy, sexual maturity, and stress status - pregnancy was associated with elevated progesterone, adult males had higher testosterone, and capture stress was associated with elevated corticosteroids. Overall, we conclude that this method will enable investigators to more thoroughly and efficiently evaluate steroid hormone homeostasis in bottlenose dolphins compared to immunoassay methods. These methods can potentially be applied to the assessment of sexual maturity/seasonality, pregnancy status, and stress in free-ranging bottlenose dolphins as well as those maintained under human care, and potentially other marine mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M Galligan
- Medical University of South Carolina, College of Graduate Studies, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA; JHT, Inc. Under Contract to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA.
| | - Lori H Schwacke
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92106, USA.
| | - Dorian S Houser
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92106, USA.
| | - Randall S Wells
- Chicago Zoological Society's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, c/o Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA.
| | - Teri Rowles
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
| | - Ashley S P Boggs
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA.
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Clukey KE, Lepczyk CA, Balazs GH, Work TM, Li QX, Bachman MJ, Lynch JM. Persistent organic pollutants in fat of three species of Pacific pelagic longline caught sea turtles: Accumulation in relation to ingested plastic marine debris. Sci Total Environ 2018; 610-611:402-411. [PMID: 28806556 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In addition to eating contaminated prey, sea turtles may be exposed to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from ingesting plastic debris that has absorbed these chemicals. Given the limited knowledge about POPs in pelagic sea turtles and how plastic ingestion influences POP exposure, our objectives were to: 1) provide baseline contaminant levels of three species of pelagic Pacific sea turtles; and 2) assess trends of contaminant levels in relation to species, sex, length, body condition and capture location. In addition, we hypothesized that if ingesting plastic is a significant source of POP exposure, then the amount of ingested plastic may be correlated to POP concentrations accumulated in fat. To address our objectives we compared POP concentrations in fat samples to previously described amounts of ingested plastic from the same turtles. Fat samples from 25 Pacific pelagic sea turtles [2 loggerhead (Caretta caretta), 6 green (Chelonia mydas) and 17 olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) turtles] were analyzed for 81 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 20 organochlorine pesticides, and 35 brominated flame-retardants. The olive ridley and loggerhead turtles had higher ΣDDTs (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and metabolites) than ΣPCBs, at a ratio similar to biota measured in the South China Sea and southern California. Green turtles had a ratio close to 1:1. These pelagic turtles had lower POP levels than previously reported in nearshore turtles. POP concentrations were unrelated to the amounts of ingested plastic in olive ridleys, suggesting that their exposure to POPs is mainly through prey. In green turtles, concentrations of ΣPCBs were positively correlated with the number of plastic pieces ingested, but these findings were confounded by covariance with body condition index (BCI). Green turtles with a higher BCI had eaten more plastic and also had higher POPs. Taken together, our findings suggest that sea turtles accumulate most POPs through their prey rather than marine debris.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine E Clukey
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, United States
| | - Christopher A Lepczyk
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, United States; Auburn University, School of Forestry and Wildlife Science, Auburn, AL, United States
| | - George H Balazs
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Thierry M Work
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Honolulu Field Station, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Qing X Li
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, United States
| | - Melannie J Bachman
- Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Jennifer M Lynch
- Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Kaneohe, HI, United States.
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Nilsen FM, Dorsey JE, Lowers RH, Guillette LJ, Long SE, Bowden JA, Schock TB. Evaluating mercury concentrations and body condition in American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), Florida. Sci Total Environ 2017; 607-608:1056-1064. [PMID: 28724244 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Concentrations of mercury (Hg) are not well studied in free-ranging wildlife. Atmospheric deposition patterns of Hg have been studied in detail and have been modeled for both global and specific locations and often correlate to environmental impact. However, monitoring the impact of Hg deposition in wildlife is complicated due to local environmental conditions that can affect the transformation of atmospheric Hg to the biologically available forms (e.g., rainfall, humidity, pH, the ability of the environment to methylate Hg), as well as affect the accessibility to organisms for sampling. In this study, Hg concentrations in blood samples from a population of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), FL, USA, over a seven-year period (2007 to 2014; n=174 individuals) were examined to assess Hg variation in the population, as well as the difference in Hg concentration as a function of health status. While most of this population is healthy, 18 individuals with low body mass indices (BMI, defined in this study) were captured throughout the sampling period. These alligators exhibited significantly elevated Hg concentrations compared to their age/sex/season matched counterparts with normal BMI, suggesting that health status should be taken into account when examining Hg concentrations and effects. Alligator blood Hg concentrations were related to the interaction of age/size, sex, and season. This study illustrates the value of a routinely monitored population of large predators in a unique coastal wetland ecosystem, and illuminates the value of long-term environmental exposure assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances M Nilsen
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Lab, Charleston, SC, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Stephen E Long
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Lab, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - John A Bowden
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Lab, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Tracey B Schock
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Lab, Charleston, SC, USA
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Morey JS, Burek Huntington KA, Campbell M, Clauss TM, Goertz CE, Hobbs RC, Lunardi D, Moors AJ, Neely MG, Schwacke LH, Van Dolah FM. De novo transcriptome assembly and RNA-Seq expression analysis in blood from beluga whales of Bristol Bay, AK. Mar Genomics 2017; 35:77-92. [PMID: 28802692 DOI: 10.1016/j.margen.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Assessing the health of marine mammal sentinel species is crucial to understanding the impacts of environmental perturbations on marine ecosystems and human health. In Arctic regions, beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, are upper level predators that may serve as a sentinel species, potentially forecasting impacts on human health. While gene expression profiling from blood transcriptomes has widely been used to assess health status and environmental exposures in human and veterinary medicine, its use in wildlife has been limited due to the lack of available genomes and baseline data. To this end we constructed the first beluga whale blood transcriptome de novo from samples collected during annual health assessments of the healthy Bristol Bay, AK stock during 2012-2014 to establish baseline information on the content and variation of the beluga whale blood transcriptome. The Trinity transcriptome assembly from beluga was comprised of 91,325 transcripts that represented a wide array of cellular functions and processes and was extremely similar in content to the blood transcriptome of another cetacean, the bottlenose dolphin. Expression of hemoglobin transcripts was much lower in beluga (25.6% of TPM, transcripts per million) than has been observed in many other mammals. A T12A amino acid substitution in the HBB sequence of beluga whales, but not bottlenose dolphins, was identified and may play a role in low temperature adaptation. The beluga blood transcriptome was extremely stable between sex and year, with no apparent clustering of samples by principle components analysis and <4% of genes differentially expressed (EBseq, FDR<0.05). While the impacts of season, sexual maturity, disease, and geography on the beluga blood transcriptome must be established, the presence of transcripts involved in stress, detoxification, and immune functions indicate that blood gene expression analyses may provide information on health status and exposure. This study provides a wealth of transcriptomic data on beluga whales and provides a sizeable pool of preliminary data for comparison with other studies in beluga whale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanine S Morey
- Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, NOAA, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA; Jardon and Howard Technologies Incorporated, 2710 Discovery Drive, Orlando, FL 32826, USA.
| | | | | | - Tonya M Clauss
- Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street, Atlanta, GA 30313, USA
| | | | - Roderick C Hobbs
- National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 95115, USA
| | - Denise Lunardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Amanda J Moors
- Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
| | - Marion G Neely
- Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, NOAA, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA; Jardon and Howard Technologies Incorporated, 2710 Discovery Drive, Orlando, FL 32826, USA
| | - Lori H Schwacke
- Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, NOAA, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
| | - Frances M Van Dolah
- Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, NOAA, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
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20
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Simond AE, Houde M, Lesage V, Verreault J. Temporal trends of PBDEs and emerging flame retardants in belugas from the St. Lawrence Estuary (Canada) and comparisons with minke whales and Canadian Arctic belugas. Environ Res 2017; 156:494-504. [PMID: 28419962 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.03.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
An exponential level increase of the ubiquitous halogenated flame retardant (HFR) class polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) has been documented during the 1990s in endangered belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) from the St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE), Eastern Canada. The recent worldwide bans and regulations of PBDE mixtures led to their replacement by alternative HFRs (so-called emerging HFRs) that are increasingly being reported in various environmental compartments. There are, however, limited knowledge on the spatial and temporal trends of PBDEs and emerging HFRs in cetaceans, especially after restrictions on PBDE usage. The first objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of HFRs (35 PBDE congeners and 13 emerging compounds) in the blubber of belugas and minke whales (Balænoptera acutorostrata) found dead in the Estuary or Gulf of St. Lawrence as well as belugas from Nunavik (Canadian Arctic) collected as part of the Inuit subsistence hunt. A second objective was to investigate the trends of HFR concentrations in SLE beluga males between 1997 and 2013. PBDEs were the most abundant HFRs in all three whale populations, while hexabromobenzene (HBB), Chlordene Plus (CPlus), Dechlorane Plus (DP), and Dechlorane 604 Component B (Dec-604 CB) were quantified in the majority of blubber samples. Overall, concentrations of emerging HFRs were notably greater in SLE belugas compared to the two other whale populations, with the exception of DP and Dec-604 CB that were found in greater concentrations in Canadian Arctic belugas. No significant trend in blubber PBDE concentrations was found in SLE belugas during this 17-year period. This suggests that global PBDE regulations are too recent to observe changes in PBDE concentrations in belugas from this highly HFR-exposed environment. In contrast, concentrations of HBB and CPlus in SLE belugas decreased slightly from 1997 to 2013, while DP increased up until 2000 and decreased slightly thereafter. The occurrence and temporal variations of PBDEs and their replacement products in these cetaceans warrant continuous monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine E Simond
- Centre de recherche en toxicologie de l'environnement (TOXEN), Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, P.O. Box 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Magali Houde
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105 McGill Street, Montreal, QC H2Y 2E7, Canada
| | - Véronique Lesage
- Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 1000, 850 route de la Mer, Mont-Joli, QC G5H 3Z4, Canada
| | - Jonathan Verreault
- Centre de recherche en toxicologie de l'environnement (TOXEN), Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, P.O. Box 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada.
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Houde M, Wang X, Ferguson SH, Gagnon P, Brown TM, Tanabe S, Kunito T, Kwan M, Muir DCG. Spatial and temporal trends of alternative flame retardants and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in ringed seals (Phoca hispida) across the Canadian Arctic. Environ Pollut 2017; 223:266-276. [PMID: 28131476 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Revised: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Concentrations of alternative flame retardants and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were analyzed in ringed seal (Phoca hispida) blubber collected across the Canadian Arctic during subsistence hunts between 1998 and 2013. More than 80% of sampled animals were females and juvenile males. The highest mean ΣPBDE concentrations (sum of 13 congeners) were found in seals from Nain (Nunatsiavut) as well as Inukjuaq and Arviat (Hudson Bay) and the lowest mean levels were found in seals from Lancaster Sound. BDE-47 and -99 were the predominant PBDE congeners quantified in ringed seals. The most frequently detected non-PBDE flame retardants were polybrominated biphenyl 101 (BB-101, 57% of samples analyzed for this chemical), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD; 38%), hexabromobenzene (HBB, 30%), and 2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (EHTeBB, 23%). The relative trophic position of seals, estimated using stable isotopes, did not vary over time and did not influence flame retardant blubber concentrations. The relative carbon source increased over time at Arviat and Resolute Bay and weak relationships were observed with ΣPBDEs in blubber of seals. ΣPBDEs increased significantly from 1998 to 2008 in ringed seals from East Baffin and subsequently decreased in recent years. PBDE levels at other sites fluctuated slightly over time. HBCDD concentrations increased at several sites over the past decade. The presence of flame retardants in ringed seals suggests their persistence and their continuous inputs in the Canadian Arctic environment. Monitoring and research on the effects of these contaminants in seals are warranted given the importance of this species in Arctic marine food webs and for local communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Houde
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105 McGill Street, Montreal, QC H2Y 2E7, Canada.
| | - X Wang
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada
| | - S H Ferguson
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Arctic Aquatic Research Division, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, Canada
| | - P Gagnon
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105 McGill Street, Montreal, QC H2Y 2E7, Canada
| | - T M Brown
- Memorial University, St. John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - S Tanabe
- Ehime University, Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Matsuyama 790-8566, Japan
| | - T Kunito
- Shinshu University, Department of Environmental Sciences, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
| | - M Kwan
- Nunavik Research Centre, Kuujjuaq, QC J0M 1C0, Canada
| | - D C G Muir
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada
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22
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Bauer KL, Goertz CE, Belovarac JA, Walton RW, Dunn JL, Tuomi P. INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND TOXICOLOGICAL MONITORING OF STRANDED PACIFIC HARBOR SEALS (PHOCA VITULINA RICHARDSI) IN COOK INLET AS SURROGATES FOR MONITORING ENDANGERED BELUGAS (DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS). J Zoo Wildl Med 2016; 47:770-80. [PMID: 27691941 DOI: 10.1638/2015-0147.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Pacific harbor seals ( Phoca vitulina richardsi) and belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) eat many of the same prey species, occupy the same geographic area, and demonstrate site fidelity in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Although most direct research involving the critically endangered belugas is currently prohibited, studying harbor seals may provide important information about this beluga population. In recent years, harbor seal populations in Alaska have declined for unknown reasons. As part of its stranding program, the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) managed 59 cases of live and dead stranded harbor seals from Cook Inlet between 1997 and 2011. Animals were screened for a variety of diseases and contaminants of concern. Animals were negative by serology to the following diseases: avian influenza, canine distemper virus, dolphin morbillivirus, porpoise morbillivirus, Leptospira canicola, L. grippotyphosa, L. pomona, Neospora caninum , Sarcocystis neurona , and Toxoplasma gondii . Positive titers were found against Brucella spp., phocine distemper virus, seal herpesvirus-1, L. bratislava, L. hardjo, and L. icterohemorrhagiae. All titers were stable or declining except in one animal with an increasing titer for seal herpesvirus-1. Fecal pathogen screenings identified normal flora as well as stable or declining low levels of potentially pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria, though most were of little concern for seal health. In most animals, toxicology screening showed that the majority of tested contaminants were below detectable limits. The level of evidence of exposure to pathogens of concern was low in harbor seals. Although the infectious disease burden and contaminant levels in belugas in Cook Inlet cannot be definitively determined without direct testing, pathogen and contaminant exposure is expected to be similar to that found in harbor seals in this region, as the harbor seals and belugas share the habitat and food resources.
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23
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Anezaki K, Matsuda A, Matsuishi T. Concentration and congener pattern of polychlorinated biphenyls in blubber and liver of Hubbs' beaked whale (Mesoplodon carlhubbsi), using a sulfoxide and an Ag-ION solid phase extraction cartridge as a simplified cleanup technique for biological samples. Mar Pollut Bull 2016; 113:282-286. [PMID: 27707471 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.09.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Revised: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We performed the first known study of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) concentrations and patterns in the blubber and liver of a Hubbs' beaked whale. Samples were pretreated with Supelclean™ sulfoxide and Discovery® Ag-ION solid phase extraction cartridges to remove whale oil. PCB concentrations in the blubber and liver were 13,000 and 7300ng/g lipid, respectively. Highly poisonous congeners such as dioxin-like (DL) PCBs tended to accumulate in the liver. The toxic equivalents (TEQ) of DL-PCBs in the liver (740pg-TEQ/g lipid) were higher than those in the blubber (74pg-TEQ/g lipid). The blubber and liver samples showed that hexachlorinated biphenyls were dominant among homologues, and PCB-153 was dominant among congeners. Several congeners accumulated disproportionately in the blubber and the liver (PCB-28, 52, 74, 99, and 118), while others did not persist (PCB-31, 70, and 110). This indicates that PCBs are metabolized differently according to their specific composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsunori Anezaki
- Hokkaido Research Organization, Environmental and Geological Research Department, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Hokkaido, Japan.
| | - Ayaka Matsuda
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
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24
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Reiner JL, Becker PR, Gribble MO, Lynch JM, Moors AJ, Ness J, Peterson D, Pugh RS, Ragland T, Rimmer C, Rhoderick J, Schantz MM, Trevillian J, Kucklick JR. Organohalogen Contaminants and Vitamins in Northern Fur Seals (Callorhinus ursinus) Collected During Subsistence Hunts in Alaska. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2016; 70:96-105. [PMID: 26142120 PMCID: PMC4817544 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-015-0179-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2015] [Accepted: 06/06/2015] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
During native subsistence hunts from 1987 to 2007, blubber and liver samples from 50 subadult male northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) were collected on St. Paul Island, Alaska. Samples were analyzed for legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), recently phased-out/current-use POPs, and vitamins. The legacy POPs measured from blubber samples included polychlorinated biphenyl congeners, DDT (and its metabolites), chlorobenzenes, chlordanes, and mirex. Recently phased-out/current-use POPs included in the blubber analysis were the flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and hexabromocyclododecanes. The chemical surfactants, perfluorinated alkyl acids, and vitamins A and E were assessed in the liver samples. Overall, concentrations of legacy POPs are similar to levels seen in seal samples from other areas of the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Statistically significant correlations were seen between compounds with similar functions (pesticides, flame retardants, vitamins). With sample collection spanning two decades, the temporal trends in the concentrations of POPs and vitamins were assessed. For these animals, the concentrations of the legacy POPs tend to decrease or stay the same with sampling year; however, the concentrations of the current-use POPs increased with sampling year. Vitamin concentrations tended to stay the same across the sampling years. With the population of northern fur seals from St. Paul Island on the decline, a detailed assessment of exposure to contaminants and the correlations with vitamins fills a critical gap for identifying potential population risk factors that might be associated with health effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Reiner
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA.
| | - Paul R Becker
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
| | - Matthew O Gribble
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA
| | - Jennifer M Lynch
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
| | - Amanda J Moors
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
| | - Jennifer Ness
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
| | - Danielle Peterson
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
| | - Rebecca S Pugh
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
| | - Tamika Ragland
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Catherine Rimmer
- Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA
| | - Jody Rhoderick
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
| | - Michele M Schantz
- Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA
| | - Jennifer Trevillian
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
| | - John R Kucklick
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
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Alonso MB, Feo ML, Corcellas C, Gago-Ferrero P, Bertozzi CP, Marigo J, Flach L, Meirelles ACO, Carvalho VL, Azevedo AF, Torres JPM, Lailson-Brito J, Malm O, Diaz-Cruz MS, Eljarrat E, Barceló D. Toxic heritage: Maternal transfer of pyrethroid insecticides and sunscreen agents in dolphins from Brazil. Environ Pollut 2015; 207:391-402. [PMID: 26453834 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.09.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2015] [Revised: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Pyrethroids (PYR) and UV filters (UVF) were investigated in tissues of paired mother-fetus dolphins from Brazilian coast in order to investigate the possibility of maternal transfer of these emerging contaminants. Comparison of PYR and UVF concentrations in maternal and fetal blubber revealed Franciscana transferred efficiently both contaminants to fetuses (F/M > 1) and Guiana dolphin transferred efficiently PYR to fetuses (F/M > 1) different than UVF (F/M < 1). PYR and UVF concentrations in fetuses were the highest-ever reported in biota (up to 6640 and 11,530 ng/g lw, respectively). Muscle was the organ with the highest PYR and UVF concentrations (p < 0.001), suggesting that these two classes of emerging contaminants may have more affinity for proteins than for lipids. The high PYR and UVF concentrations found in fetuses demonstrate these compounds are efficiently transferred through placenta. This study is the first to report maternal transfer of pyrethroids and UV filters in marine mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana B Alonso
- Radioisotopes Laboratory Eduardo Penna Franca (LREPF), Biophysics Institute Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil; Aquatic Mammals and Bioindicator Laboratory (MAQUA), School of Oceanography, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Brazil; Laboratório de Biologia e Conservação da Megafauna Marinha - Biopesca - Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Unesp, Campus Litoral Paulista, Brazil
| | - Maria Luisa Feo
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA, CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cayo Corcellas
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA, CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pablo Gago-Ferrero
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA, CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carolina P Bertozzi
- Laboratório de Biologia e Conservação da Megafauna Marinha - Biopesca - Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Unesp, Campus Litoral Paulista, Brazil
| | - Juliana Marigo
- Laboratório de Biologia e Conservação da Megafauna Marinha - Biopesca - Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Unesp, Campus Litoral Paulista, Brazil
| | | | - Ana Carolina O Meirelles
- Associação de Pesquisa e Preservação de Ecossistemas Aquáticos (AQUASIS), Caucaia, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Vitor L Carvalho
- Associação de Pesquisa e Preservação de Ecossistemas Aquáticos (AQUASIS), Caucaia, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Alexandre F Azevedo
- Aquatic Mammals and Bioindicator Laboratory (MAQUA), School of Oceanography, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Brazil
| | - João Paulo M Torres
- Radioisotopes Laboratory Eduardo Penna Franca (LREPF), Biophysics Institute Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil
| | - José Lailson-Brito
- Aquatic Mammals and Bioindicator Laboratory (MAQUA), School of Oceanography, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Brazil
| | - Olaf Malm
- Radioisotopes Laboratory Eduardo Penna Franca (LREPF), Biophysics Institute Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil
| | - M Silvia Diaz-Cruz
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA, CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ethel Eljarrat
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA, CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Damià Barceló
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA, CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
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26
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Peterson SH, Peterson MG, Debier C, Covaci A, Dirtu AC, Malarvannan G, Crocker DE, Schwarz LK, Costa DP. Deep-ocean foraging northern elephant seals bioaccumulate persistent organic pollutants. Sci Total Environ 2015; 533:144-155. [PMID: 26151658 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.06.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Revised: 06/23/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
As top predators in the northeast Pacific Ocean, northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) are vulnerable to bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Our study examined a suite of POPs in blubber (inner and outer) and blood (serum) of free-ranging northern elephant seals. For adult females (N=24), we satellite tracked and sampled the same seals before and after their approximately seven month long foraging trip. For males, we sampled different adults and sub-adults before (N=14) and after (N=15) the same foraging trip. For females, we calculated blubber burdens for all compounds. The highest POP concentrations in males and females were found for ∑DDTs and ∑PCBs. In blubber and serum, males had significantly greater concentrations than females for almost all compounds. For males and females, ∑DDT and ∑PBDEs were highly correlated in blubber and serum. While ∑PCBs were highly correlated with ∑DDTs and ∑PBDEs in blubber and serum for males, ∑PCBs showed weaker correlations with both compounds in females. As females gained mass while foraging, concentrations of nearly all POPs in inner and outer blubber significantly decreased; however, the absolute burden in blubber significantly increased, indicating ingestion of contaminants while foraging. Additionally, we identified three clusters of seal foraging behavior, based on geography, diving behavior, and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, which corresponded with differences in ∑DDTs, ∑PBDEs, MeO-BDE 47, as well as the ratio of ∑DDTs to ∑PCBs, indicating the potential for behavior to heighten or mitigate contaminant exposure. The greatest concentrations of ∑DDTs and ∑PBDEs were observed in the cluster that foraged closer to the coast and had blood samples more enriched in (13)C. Bioaccumulation of POPs by elephant seals supports mesopelagic food webs as a sink for POPs and highlights elephant seals as a potential sentinel of contamination in deep ocean food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah H Peterson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA.
| | - Michael G Peterson
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Cathy Debier
- Institut des Sciences de la Vie, Université catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 2/L7.05.08, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Adrian Covaci
- Toxicological Center, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteit Antwerpen, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Alin C Dirtu
- Toxicological Center, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteit Antwerpen, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; Department of Chemistry, "Al. I. Cuza" University of Iasi, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Govindan Malarvannan
- Toxicological Center, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteit Antwerpen, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Daniel E Crocker
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, 1801 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, USA
| | - Lisa K Schwarz
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Daniel P Costa
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
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Bradshaw C, Strid A, von Stedingk H, Gustafsson K. Effects of benthos, temperature, and dose on the fate of hexabromocyclododecane in experimental coastal ecosystems. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015; 34:1246-1257. [PMID: 25703626 DOI: 10.1002/etc.2947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2014] [Revised: 10/01/2014] [Accepted: 02/16/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The authors studied the fate of the brominated flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) added in a particulate suspension to experimental ecosystems assembled from brackish (Baltic Sea) coastal bays. Two experiments examined how benthic macrofauna (over 21 d) and increased temperature (14 d) affected HBCDD concentrations and fractionation of α, β, and γ diastereomers in the water, sediment, and biota. A third experiment run over 3 seasons (231 d), studied the effect of HBCDD dose on the same endpoints. In all treatments of the 3 experiments, HBCDD partitioned mainly to the sediment, and this proportion increased with time. Presence of macrofauna tended to increase the HBCDD concentration in the sediment and decreased its concentration in the water. Increased temperature (+ 5°C) decreased the amount of HBCDD in sediment and water but not in the filter- and deposit-feeding infaunal bivalves (Macoma balthica). The partitioning between water, sediment, and biota was not concentration dependent. In all treatments, sediment became enriched in γ-HBCDD, M. balthica in α-HBCDD, and water in α- and β-HBCDD. Bioaccumulation of HBCDD in M. balthica was high in all experiments (log biota-sediment accumulation factor [BSAF] > 1.25), the α diastereomer contributing the most (log BSAF 2.1-5.2). There is a risk of trophic transfer of HBCDD from benthic to pelagic food webs, as well as secondary poisoning of marine consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Bradshaw
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Anna Strid
- Environmental Chemistry Unit, Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hans von Stedingk
- Environmental Chemistry Unit, Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kerstin Gustafsson
- School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University, Huddinge, Sweden
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Krey A, Ostertag SK, Chan HM. Assessment of neurotoxic effects of mercury in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), ringed seals (Pusa hispida), and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the Canadian Arctic. Sci Total Environ 2015; 509-510:237-247. [PMID: 24958011 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2013] [Revised: 05/19/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Marine mammals are indicator species of the Arctic ecosystem and an integral component of the traditional Inuit diet. The potential neurotoxic effects of increased mercury (Hg) in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), ringed seals (Pusa hispida), and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are not clear. We assessed the risk of Hg-associated neurotoxicity to these species by comparing their brain Hg concentrations with threshold concentrations for toxic endpoints detected in laboratory animals and field observations: clinical symptoms (>6.75 mg/kg wet weight (ww)), neuropathological signs (>4 mg/kg ww), neurochemical changes (>0.4 mg/kg ww), and neurobehavioral changes (>0.1mg/kg ww). The total Hg (THg) concentrations in the cerebellum and frontal lobe of ringed seals and polar bears were <0.5mg/kg ww, whereas the average concentration in beluga whale brain was >3mg/kg ww. Our results suggest that brain THg levels in polar bears are below levels that induce neurobehavioral effects as reported in the literature, while THg concentrations in ringed seals are within the range that elicit neurobehavioral effects and individual ringed seals exceed the threshold for neurochemical changes. The relatively high THg concentration in beluga whales exceeds all of the neurotoxicity thresholds assessed. High brain selenium (Se):Hg molar ratios were observed in all three species, suggesting that Se could protect the animals from Hg-associated neurotoxicity. This assessment was limited by several factors that influence neurotoxic effects in animals, including: animal species; form of Hg in the brain; and interactions with modifiers of Hg-associated toxicity, such as Se. Comparing brain Hg concentrations in wildlife with concentrations of appropriate laboratory studies can be used as a tool for risk characterization of the neurotoxic effects of Hg in Arctic marine mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Krey
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada.
| | - Sonja K Ostertag
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada.
| | - Hing Man Chan
- Center for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa, 20 Marie-Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
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Byard JL, Paulsen SC, Tjeerdema RS, Chiavelli D. DDT, chlordane, toxaphene and PCB residues in Newport Bay and Watershed: assessment of hazard to wildlife and human health. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol 2015; 235:49-168. [PMID: 25376114 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-10861-2_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- James L Byard
- , 11693 Phelps Hill Road, Nevada City, CA, 95959, USA,
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Weijs L, Dirtu AC, Malarvannan G, Covaci A. Bioaccumulation and Biotransformation of Brominated Flame Retardants. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs): Analytical Techniques, Environmental Fate and Biological Effects 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63299-9.00014-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Bachman MJ, Keller JM, West KL, Jensen BA. Persistent organic pollutant concentrations in blubber of 16 species of cetaceans stranded in the Pacific Islands from 1997 through 2011. Sci Total Environ 2014; 488-489:115-123. [PMID: 24821437 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.04.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2014] [Revised: 04/10/2014] [Accepted: 04/18/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic man-made chemicals that bioaccumulate and biomagnify in food webs, making them a ubiquitous threat to the marine environment. Although many studies have determined concentrations of POPs in top predators, no studies have quantified POPs in stranded cetaceans within the last 30 years around the Hawaiian Islands. A suite of POPs was measured in the blubber of 16 cetacean species that stranded in the tropical Pacific, including Hawai'i from 1997 to 2011. The sample set includes odontocetes (n=39) and mysticetes (n=3). Median (range) contaminant concentrations in ng/g lipid for the most representative species category (delphinids excluding killer whales [n=27]) are: 9650 (44.4-99,100) for ∑DDTs, 6240 (40.8-50,200) for ∑PCBs, 1380 (6.73-9520) for ∑chlordanes, 1230 (13.4-5510) for ∑toxaphenes, 269 (1.99-10,100) for ∑PBDEs, 280 (2.14-4190) for mirex, 176 (5.43-857) for HCB, 48.1 (<5.42-566) for ∑HCHs, 33.9 (<2.42-990) for ∑HBCDs, 1.65 (<0.435-11.7) for octachlorostyrene and 1.49 (<2.07-13.1) for pentachlorobenzene. ∑PCB concentrations in these Pacific Island cetaceans approach and sometimes exceed proposed toxic threshold values. Backward stepwise multiple regressions indicated the influence of life history parameters on contaminant concentrations when performed with three independent variables (species category, year of stranding, and sex/age class). No temporal trends were noted (p>0.063), but sex/age class influences were evident with adult males exhibiting greater contaminant loads than adult females and juveniles for ∑DDT, ∑PCBs, ∑CHLs, and mirex (p≤0.036). POP concentrations were lower in mysticetes than odontocetes for many compound classes (p≤0.003). p,p'-DDE/∑DDTs ratios were greater than 0.6 for all species except humpback whales, suggesting exposure to an old DDT source. These POP levels are high enough to warrant concern and continued monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melannie J Bachman
- Hawai'i Pacific University, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, 45-045 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA; National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA.
| | - Jennifer M Keller
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA.
| | - Kristi L West
- Hawai'i Pacific University, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, 45-045 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA.
| | - Brenda A Jensen
- Hawai'i Pacific University, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, 45-045 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA.
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Lebeuf M, Measures L, Noël M, Raach M, Trottier S. A twenty-one year temporal trend of persistent organic pollutants in St. Lawrence Estuary beluga, Canada. Sci Total Environ 2014; 485-486:377-386. [PMID: 24742546 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.03.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Revised: 02/26/2014] [Accepted: 03/20/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were measured in blubber from 144 stranded adult belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) found on the shores of the St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE) between 1987 and 2007. Temporal trends of POP concentrations (ln transformed) in beluga were described by three models, zero slope (ZS), linear (L) and two-segment piecewise (PW). Often two but sometimes all three models were equivalent in describing temporal trends based on Akaike's Information Criterion for small sample sizes. Over this 21-year time period, concentrations of most legacy POPs, including PCBs, DDTs and HCHs, exhibited relatively weak (≤11% per year) but significant decreasing trends in beluga. For PBDEs, temporal trends were best described by a PW model, characterizing a rapid increase until 1997-1998 followed by a slower increase for males and a steady-state for females. Potential cofactors such as blubber lipid content and carcass state of preservation did not show any significant temporal trends over the time period considered. Nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ(15)N) in beluga liver, a proxy of trophic level, could not be associated to any effect on temporal trends of POP concentrations in beluga. Several POPs exhibited significant relationships with age of beluga and data were age-adjusted. Temporal trends of POP concentrations adjusted for age of beluga were reassessed but results were essentially identical as those obtained with the original POP data. Overall, POP temporal trends observed in SLE beluga are consistent with changes expected from regulations and restrictions in the use of these compounds in developed countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Lebeuf
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, 850 Route de la Mer, Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada.
| | - Lena Measures
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, 850 Route de la Mer, Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada
| | - Michelle Noël
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, 850 Route de la Mer, Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada
| | - Meriem Raach
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, 850 Route de la Mer, Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada
| | - Steve Trottier
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, 850 Route de la Mer, Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada
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Miller-Rhodes P, Popescu M, Goeke C, Tirabassi T, Johnson L, Markowski VP. Prenatal exposure to the brominated flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) impairs measures of sustained attention and increases age-related morbidity in the Long-Evans rat. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2014; 45:34-43. [PMID: 24995466 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2014.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Revised: 06/18/2014] [Accepted: 06/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant that is widely-used in foam building materials and to a lesser extent, furniture and electronic equipment. After decades of use, HBCD and its metabolites have become globally-distributed environmental contaminants that can be measured in the atmosphere, water bodies, wildlife, food staples and human breastmilk. Emerging evidence suggests that HBCD can affect early brain development and produce behavioral consequences for exposed organisms. The current study examined some of the developmental and lifelong neurobehavioral effects of prenatal HBCD exposure in a rat model. Pregnant rats were gavaged with 0, 3, 10, or 30mg/kg HBCD from gestation day 1 to parturition. A functional observation battery was used to assess sensorimotor behaviors in neonates. Locomotor and operant responding under random ratio and Go/no-go schedules of food reinforcement were examined in cohorts of young adult and aged rats. HBCD exposure was associated with increased reactivity to a tailpinch in neonates, decreased forelimb grip strength in juveniles, and impaired sustained attention indicated by Go/no-go responding in aged rats. In addition, HBCD exposure was associated with a significant increase in morbidity in the aged cohort. One health complication, a progressive loss of hindleg function, was observed only in the aged, 3mg/kg HBCD animals. These effects suggest that HBCD is a developmental neurotoxicant that can produce long-term behavioral impairments that emerge at different points in the lifespan following prenatal exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Miller-Rhodes
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, 14454, United States
| | - Maria Popescu
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME, 04104, United States
| | - Calla Goeke
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, 14454, United States
| | - Toni Tirabassi
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME, 04104, United States
| | - Lauren Johnson
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, 14454, United States
| | - Vincent P Markowski
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, 14454, United States
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Binnington MJ, Wania F. Clarifying relationships between persistent organic pollutant concentrations and age in wildlife biomonitoring: individuals, cross-sections, and the roles of lifespan and sex. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014; 33:1415-26. [PMID: 24619475 DOI: 10.1002/etc.2576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2013] [Revised: 09/29/2013] [Accepted: 03/09/2014] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Relationships between persistent organic pollutant (POP) levels and age in wildlife biomonitoring are often interpreted as changes in contaminant burden as organisms age. However, cross-sectional body burden-age trends (CBATs) obtained from biomonitoring studies, which sample individuals of different ages at the same time, should not be confused with longitudinal body burden-age trends (LBATs) obtained by sampling the same individuals repeatedly through time. To clarify how CBATs and LBATs for wildlife species deviate from each other, and describe any impact of lifespan and sex, we used mechanistic bioaccumulation models to estimate historic longitudinal exposures of polar cod, ringed seals, beluga whales, and bowhead whales to polychlorinated biphenyl congener 153. Cross-sectional body burden-age trends were then produced by sampling resultant LBATs of successive birth cohorts at specific time points. As found previously for humans, the year of sampling relative to the year of peak environmental contamination was a critical parameter in determining male CBAT shapes. However, a similar cohort effect was not apparent for reproductive females because efficient POP loss through lactation prevented their lipids from retaining a memory of past exposure levels. Thus, lactation loss was not only responsible for the large differences between the CBATs of males and females of the same species, but also the lack of female CBAT variability through time. Cross-sectional body burden-age trend shapes varied little between species by lifespan, as long as equivalent age scales were used. However, lifespan relative to the timescale of environmental contaminant level changes did determine the extent to which CBATs resembled LBATs for males. We suggest that accounting for birth cohort and sex effects is essential when interpreting age trends in POP biomonitoring studies of long-lived species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Binnington
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Alonso MB, Azevedo A, Torres JPM, Dorneles PR, Eljarrat E, Barceló D, Lailson-Brito J, Malm O. Anthropogenic (PBDE) and naturally-produced (MeO-PBDE) brominated compounds in cetaceans--a review. Sci Total Environ 2014; 481:619-634. [PMID: 24636867 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Revised: 01/15/2014] [Accepted: 02/07/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
This paper reviews the available data on brominated flame retardants, the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), as well as on the naturally-produced methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-PBDEs) in cetacean tissues around the world. Levels and possible sources of both compound classes are discussed. Odontocete cetaceans accumulate higher PBDE concentrations than mysticete species. PBDE contamination was higher in cetaceans from the Northern hemisphere, whereas MeO-PBDE levels were higher in animals from the Southern hemisphere. Southern resident killer whales from NE Pacific presented the highest levels reported in biota, followed by bottlenose dolphins from North Atlantic (U.K. and U.S. coast). Many species presented PBDE concentrations above threshold levels for health effects in odontocetes. Time trend studies indicate that PBDE concentrations in odontocetes from Japan, China, U.S. and Canada coastal zones have increased significantly over the past 30 years. Studies from U.K. waters and NE Atlantic showed a decrease and/or stability of PBDE levels in cetacean tissues in recent decades. The highest MeO-PBDE concentrations were found in dolphins from Tanzania (Indian Ocean), bottlenose dolphins from Queensland, Australia (SW Pacific), and odontocetes from coastal and continental shelf waters off southeastern Brazil (SW Atlantic). The upwelling phenomenon and the presence of coral reef complexes in these tropical oceans may explain the large amounts of the naturally-produced organobromines. Considering that these bioaccumulative chemicals have properties that could cause many deleterious effects in those animals, future studies are required to evaluate the potential ecotoxicological risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana B Alonso
- Radioisotopes Laboratory, Biophysics Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil; Aquatic Mammal and Bioindicator Laboratory (MAQUA), School of Oceanography, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Brazil; Projeto BioPesca, Praia Grande, SP, Brazil.
| | - Alexandre Azevedo
- Aquatic Mammal and Bioindicator Laboratory (MAQUA), School of Oceanography, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Brazil.
| | - João Paulo M Torres
- Radioisotopes Laboratory, Biophysics Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil.
| | - Paulo R Dorneles
- Radioisotopes Laboratory, Biophysics Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil.
| | - Ethel Eljarrat
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA, CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Damià Barceló
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA, CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Parc Científic i Tecnològic de la Universitat de Girona, Pic de Peguera 15, 17003 Girona, Spain.
| | - José Lailson-Brito
- Aquatic Mammal and Bioindicator Laboratory (MAQUA), School of Oceanography, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Brazil.
| | - Olaf Malm
- Radioisotopes Laboratory, Biophysics Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil.
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Houde M, Berryman D, de Lafontaine Y, Verreault J. Novel brominated flame retardants and dechloranes in three fish species from the St. Lawrence River, Canada. Sci Total Environ 2014; 479-480:48-56. [PMID: 24534698 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.01.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2013] [Revised: 01/27/2014] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Restrictions in the utilization of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) mixtures have led to the increased usage of alternative flame retardant additives in a wide range of commercial applications. The present study examined the occurrence of established and emerging flame retardants (FRs) in fish from a densely-populated urbanized sector of the St. Lawrence River (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). Thirty-eight PBDE congeners and sixteen emerging FRs were determined in fish belonging to three predatory species (yellow perch, northern pike, and muskellunge). The ∑PBDE in fish were up to 24,115 ng/g lipid weight (l.w.) in the apex predator muskellunge. Twelve emerging FRs including bis(2-ethylhexyl)-tetrabromophthalate (BEHTBP), pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB), Dechlorane Plus (anti and syn), dechloranes (Dec) 602, Dec 604, Dec 604 Compound B (Dec 604 CB), and Chlordene Plus (CP) were detected (>0.01 ng/gl.w.) in the liver of muskellunge and northern pike but not in yellow perch homogenates. This is the first report of Dec 604 CB in any fish species. The bioavailability of these FRs in human-impacted aquatic ecosystems warrants further environmental assessment and toxicity testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Houde
- Environment Canada, Centre Saint-Laurent, 105 McGill Street, Montreal, QC H2Y 2E7, Canada.
| | - David Berryman
- Direction du suivi de l'état de l'environnement, Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement, de la Faune et des Parcs, 675, boul. René-Lévesque Est, 7e étage, Québec, QC G1R 5V7, Canada.
| | - Yves de Lafontaine
- Environment Canada, Centre Saint-Laurent, 105 McGill Street, Montreal, QC H2Y 2E7, Canada.
| | - Jonathan Verreault
- Centre de recherche en toxicologie de l'environnement (TOXEN), Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada.
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Lu Z, Fisk AT, Kovacs KM, Lydersen C, McKinney MA, Tomy GT, Rosenburg B, McMeans BC, Muir DCG, Wong CS. Temporal and spatial variation in polychlorinated biphenyl chiral signatures of the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) and its arctic marine food web. Environ Pollut 2014; 186:216-225. [PMID: 24389599 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Revised: 12/02/2013] [Accepted: 12/05/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) chiral signatures were measured in Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) and their potential prey in arctic marine food webs from Canada (Cumberland Sound) and Europe (Svalbard) to assess temporal and spatial variation in PCB contamination at the stereoisomer level. Marine mammals had species-specific enantiomer fractions (EFs), likely due to a combination of in vivo biotransformation and direct trophic transfer. Greenland sharks from Cumberland Sound in 2007-2008 had similar EFs to those sharks collected a decade ago in the same location (PCBs 91, 136 and 149) and also similar to their conspecifics from Svalbard for some PCB congeners (PCBs 95, 136 and 149). However, other PCB EFs in the sharks varied temporally (PCB 91) or spatially (PCB 95), suggesting a possible spatiotemporal variation in their diets, since biotransformation capacity was unlikely to have varied within this species from region to region or over the time frame studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Lu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Aaron T Fisk
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Kit M Kovacs
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Melissa A McKinney
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Gregg T Tomy
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Bruno Rosenburg
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, Canada
| | - Bailey C McMeans
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Derek C G Muir
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment Canada, Burlington, ON L7R 4A6, Canada
| | - Charles S Wong
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada; Richardson College for the Environment, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, Canada.
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Rosenfelder N, Vetter W. Polychlorinated terphenyl patterns and levels in selected marine mammals and a river fish from different continents. Environ Int 2014; 62:119-124. [PMID: 24211498 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2013.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2013] [Revised: 10/08/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Polychlorinated terphenyls (PCTs) are a class of persistent organic pollutants which have been used from the 1920s to the 1980s for similar purposes as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Comparably little data was available on the PCT distribution in the environment mainly due to analytical difficulties in their determination. By means of a calculation algorithm recently developed we now studied the PCT pattern in individual marine mammal samples and one fish sample from different continents. Altogether, 97 PCTs were detected in eight samples and twelve to 66 tetra- to nonachloroterphenyl (tetra- to nonaCT) congeners were detected in individual samples. PCTs were present in all marine mammal samples which originated from four continents, but the PCT pattern was varied. TetraCTs were dominant in the sample from Africa, Australia, Spitsbergen (European Arctic) and in a sample from the Baltic Sea, heptaCTs in samples from the North Sea and octaCTs in a sample from Iceland. The abundance of sumPCTs relative to PCB 153, estimated from the GC/ECNI-MS response corrected for the degree of chlorination, ranged from 0.9 to 8.8%, corresponding with ~0.22-2.2% of the total PCB content. The highest PCT level detected was 980 mg/kg lipid in a harbour seal from the North Sea, Germany. The results from this study indicated that samples from certain areas, e.g. the North Sea may still be polluted with PCTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Rosenfelder
- University of Hohenheim, Institute of Food Chemistry, Garbenstr. 25, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany
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Day RD, Becker PR, Donard OFX, Pugh RS, Wise SA. Environmental specimen banks as a resource for mercury and mercury isotope research in marine ecosystems. Environ Sci Process Impacts 2014; 16:10-27. [PMID: 24166047 DOI: 10.1039/c3em00261f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Environmental specimen banks (ESBs) have been a fundamental tool for many nations to monitor contaminant temporal and spatial trends, study fate and transport, and assess the severity and risks of pollution. The specimens archived in ESBs are among the longest time-series, most geographically robust, and highest integrity samples available for performing environmental research. Mercury (Hg) remains one of the world's most ubiquitous environmental contaminants, and ESBs have played a prominent role in Hg research. Historically this has involved measuring concentrations of Hg species in various environmental matrices, but the emerging field of Hg stable isotope research provides a new analytical approach that can augment these traditional techniques. Signatures of Hg isotope fractionation have been effectively used for source apportionment and for elucidating Hg biogeochemical cycling. As the research surrounding Hg stable isotopes continues to mature, ESBs can play a useful role in analytical quality control, provide a robust and economical sample archive to expand and diversify the inventory of Hg isotope measurements, and be used to develop and test hypotheses to evaluate whether broadly prevailing paradigms are supported. Samples archived in ESBs are available for request by external collaborators in order to perform high impact research, and should be utilized more effectively to address emerging global environmental concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rusty D Day
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, South Carolina 29412, USA.
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