Fireproof killer whales ( Orcinus orca): flame-retardant chemicals and the conservation imperative in the charismatic icon of British Columbia, Canada
Long-lived and high trophic level marine mammals are vulnerable to accumulating often very high concentrations of persistent chemicals, including pesticides, industrial by-products, and flame retardants. In the case of killer whales (Orcinus orca), some of the older individuals currently frequenting...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f05-244 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f05-244 |
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crcansciencepubl:10.1139/f05-244 2024-06-23T07:55:58+00:00 Fireproof killer whales ( Orcinus orca): flame-retardant chemicals and the conservation imperative in the charismatic icon of British Columbia, Canada Ross, Peter S 2006 http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f05-244 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f05-244 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences volume 63, issue 1, page 224-234 ISSN 0706-652X 1205-7533 journal-article 2006 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.1139/f05-244 2024-06-13T04:10:53Z Long-lived and high trophic level marine mammals are vulnerable to accumulating often very high concentrations of persistent chemicals, including pesticides, industrial by-products, and flame retardants. In the case of killer whales (Orcinus orca), some of the older individuals currently frequenting the coastal waters of British Columbia (BC) were born during the First World War, well before the advent of widespread chemical manufacture and use. BC's killer whales are now among the most polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated marine mammals in the world. While the "legacy" PCBs have largely been banned, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have recently emerged as a major concern. The endocrine-disrupting nature of these two persistent fire retardants in biota spells trouble at the top of the food chain, with increasing evidence of effects on reproductive health, the immune system, and development in exposed mammals. The heavy contamination of BC's killer whales, coupled with their long life span and high trophic level, highlights the need for a "weight of evidence" approach in research, conservation planning, and regulatory decisions. Given the global nature of contaminant dispersion, such approaches can only be effective when carried out on both national and international scales. Article in Journal/Newspaper Orca Orcinus orca Canadian Science Publishing British Columbia ENVELOPE(-125.003,-125.003,54.000,54.000) Canada Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 63 1 224 234 |
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Open Polar |
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Canadian Science Publishing |
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crcansciencepubl |
language |
English |
description |
Long-lived and high trophic level marine mammals are vulnerable to accumulating often very high concentrations of persistent chemicals, including pesticides, industrial by-products, and flame retardants. In the case of killer whales (Orcinus orca), some of the older individuals currently frequenting the coastal waters of British Columbia (BC) were born during the First World War, well before the advent of widespread chemical manufacture and use. BC's killer whales are now among the most polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated marine mammals in the world. While the "legacy" PCBs have largely been banned, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have recently emerged as a major concern. The endocrine-disrupting nature of these two persistent fire retardants in biota spells trouble at the top of the food chain, with increasing evidence of effects on reproductive health, the immune system, and development in exposed mammals. The heavy contamination of BC's killer whales, coupled with their long life span and high trophic level, highlights the need for a "weight of evidence" approach in research, conservation planning, and regulatory decisions. Given the global nature of contaminant dispersion, such approaches can only be effective when carried out on both national and international scales. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ross, Peter S |
spellingShingle |
Ross, Peter S Fireproof killer whales ( Orcinus orca): flame-retardant chemicals and the conservation imperative in the charismatic icon of British Columbia, Canada |
author_facet |
Ross, Peter S |
author_sort |
Ross, Peter S |
title |
Fireproof killer whales ( Orcinus orca): flame-retardant chemicals and the conservation imperative in the charismatic icon of British Columbia, Canada |
title_short |
Fireproof killer whales ( Orcinus orca): flame-retardant chemicals and the conservation imperative in the charismatic icon of British Columbia, Canada |
title_full |
Fireproof killer whales ( Orcinus orca): flame-retardant chemicals and the conservation imperative in the charismatic icon of British Columbia, Canada |
title_fullStr |
Fireproof killer whales ( Orcinus orca): flame-retardant chemicals and the conservation imperative in the charismatic icon of British Columbia, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Fireproof killer whales ( Orcinus orca): flame-retardant chemicals and the conservation imperative in the charismatic icon of British Columbia, Canada |
title_sort |
fireproof killer whales ( orcinus orca): flame-retardant chemicals and the conservation imperative in the charismatic icon of british columbia, canada |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f05-244 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f05-244 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-125.003,-125.003,54.000,54.000) |
geographic |
British Columbia Canada |
geographic_facet |
British Columbia Canada |
genre |
Orca Orcinus orca |
genre_facet |
Orca Orcinus orca |
op_source |
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences volume 63, issue 1, page 224-234 ISSN 0706-652X 1205-7533 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/f05-244 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |
container_volume |
63 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
224 |
op_container_end_page |
234 |
_version_ |
1802648780462358528 |