Legacy and new halogenated persistent organic pollutants in polar bears from a contamination hotspot in the Arctic, Hudson Bay Canada

• Published in: Science of The Total Environment
• Main Authors: Letcher, R.J. (Robert J.), Morris, A.D. (A. D.), Dyck, M. (M.), Sverko, E. (E.), Reiner, E.J. (E. J.), Blair, D.A.D. (D. A.D.), Chu, S.G. (S. G.), Shen, L. (L.)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Arctic; Canada; Hudson Bay; Legacy and new contaminants; Persistent organic pollutants; Polar bears; Hudson
• Online Access: https://ir.library.carleton.ca/pub/15127; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.035

A large and complex suite of 295 legacy and new halogenated persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were investigated in fat or liver tissue samples of polar bears collected in 2013–2014 from Southern (SHB) and Western (WHB) subpopulations of the Canadian Arctic contaminants hotspot of Hudson Bay. A total of 210 POPs were detected and/or quantifiable with some frequency in all fat or liver samples. POP profile and concentration differences were investigated both within (e.g. age and sex) and between the two subpopulations. Two time-point comparisons were made relative to POPs reported for Hudson Bay polar bears harvested in 2007–2008. ΣPolychlorinated bi