First evaluation of legacy persistent organic pollutant contamination status of stranded Yangtze finless porpoises along the Yangtze River Basin, China

Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis), inhabiting the Yangtze River, are an endangered species in China. They are threatened by various kinds of pollutants, among which persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are of special concern due to their toxicities, high persist...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science of The Total Environment
Main Authors: Zhang, Kai, Qian, Zhengyi, Ruan, Yuefei, Hao, Yujiang, Dong, Weiwei, Li, Ke, Mei, Zhigang, Wang, Kexiong, Wu, Chenxi, Wu, Jianhong, Zheng, Jinsong, Lam, Paul K. S., Wang, Ding
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: ELSEVIER 2020
Subjects:
Hexachlorocyclohexane
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers
Polychlorinated biphenyl
Risk assessment
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Environmental Sciences
DOLPHINS TURSIOPS-TRUNCATUS
SOUTHERN NORTH-SEA
POLYCHLORINATED-BIPHENYLS
HARBOR PORPOISES
ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDES
PHOCOENA-PHOCOENA
SURFACE SEDIMENTS
NEOPHOCAENA-PHOCAENOIDES
TIBETAN PLATEAU
Phocoena phocoena
Online Access:http://ir.ihb.ac.cn/handle/342005/35006
http://ir.ihb.ac.cn/handle/342005/35007
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136446
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Summary:Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis), inhabiting the Yangtze River, are an endangered species in China. They are threatened by various kinds of pollutants, among which persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are of special concern due to their toxicities, high persistency and bioaccumulation potential. To better understand the POP contamination status of Yangtze finless porpoises, an investigation of stranded porpoises along the Yangtze River and adjacent two major lakes in the Yangtze River basin was conducted; the concentrations of four groups of legacy POPs, i.e., hexachlorocydohexanes (HCHs),dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), were determined in the blubber samples. The mean concentrations of Sigma HCHs (the sum of all congeners/isomers), Sigma DDTs, Sigma BDEs and Sigma PCBs, were 1670 +/- 4210, 28,800 +/- 52,300, 141 +/- 174, and 1020 +/- 1070 ng/g lipid weight, respectively; the high DDTs/PCBs ratio reflected a strong influence of agricultural pollution in the Yangtze River basin, and the high alpha/gamma ratio of HCH isomers indicated the usage of lindane in the corresponding areas: the predominance of low-brominated congeners of PBDEs may be related to congruent patterns in the related environmental matrices. A hazard quotient risk assessment revealed that DDTs could pose a relatively high risk to Yangtze finless por- poises compared with the risks posed by the other POPs. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.

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