(Table 1) Neutral and phenolic organohalogen compounds in blubber samples of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from East Greenland, supplement to: Letcher, Robert J; Gebbink, Wouter A; Sonne, Christian; Born, Erik W; McKinney, Melissa A; Dietz, Rune (2009): Bioaccumulation and biotransformation of brominated and chlorinated contaminants and their metabolites in ringed seals (Pusa hispida) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from East Greenland. Environment International, 35(8), 1118-1124

• Main Authors: Letcher, Robert J, Gebbink, Wouter A, Sonne, Christian, Born, Erik W, McKinney, Melissa A, Dietz, Rune
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA - Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science 2009
• Subjects: DATE/TIME; Date/time end; Sample type; Species; Lipids; Lipids, standard deviation; Polychlorinated biphenyl; Polychlorinated biphenyl, standard deviation; Hydroxy-polychlorinated biphenyl; Methyl sulfone polychlorinated biphenyl; Methyl sulfone polychlorinated biphenyl, standard deviation; Chlordane; Chlordane, standard deviation; para,para-Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene; Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, standard deviation; 3-methylsulfonyl p,p-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene; 4-hydroxy-heptachlorostyrene; Pentachlorophenol; Pentachlorophenol, standard deviation; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, standard deviation; alpha-Hexabromocyclododecane; Hexabromocyclododecane, standard deviation; Brominated biphenyl 101; Brominated biphenyl, standard deviation; Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers, standard deviation; Methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers, standard deviation; Hydroxylated polybrominated biphenyl; Hydroxylated polybrominated biphenyl, standard deviation; Biological sample; International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; Dietz; Greenland; East Greenland; International Polar Year; IPY; Pusa hispida; ringed seal; Ursus maritimus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.815795; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.815795

We report on the comparative bioaccumulation, biotransformation and/or biomagnification from East Greenland ringed seal (Pusa hispida) blubber to polar bear (Ursus maritimus) tissues (adipose, liver and brain) of various classes and congeners of persistent chlorinated and brominated contaminants and metabolic by-products: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlordanes (CHLs), hydroxyl (OH-) and methylsulfonyl (MeSO2-) PCBs, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), OH-PBBs, polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) flame retardants and OH- and methoxyl (MeO-) PBDEs, 2,2-dichloro-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethene (p,p'-DDE), 3-MeSO2-p,p'-DDE, pentachlorophenol (PCP) and 4-OH-heptachlorostyrene (4-OH-HpCS). We detected all of the investigated contaminants in ringed seal blubber with high frequency, the main diet of East Greenland bears, with the exception of OH-PCBs and 4-OH-HpCS, which indicated that these phenolic contaminants were likely of metabolic origin and formed in the bears from accumulated PCBs and octachlorostyrene (OCS), respectively, rather than being bioaccumulated from a seal blubber diet. For all of the detectable sum of classes or individual organohalogens, in general, the ringed seal to polar bear mean BMFs for SumPCBs, p,p'-DDE, SumCHLs, SumMeSO2-PCBs, 3-MeSO2-p,p'-DDE, PCP, SumPBDEs, total-(alpha)-HBCD, SumOH-PBDEs, SumMeO-PBDEs and SumOH-PBBs indicated that these organohalogens bioaccumulate, and in some cases there was tissue-specific biomagnification, e.g., BMFs for bear adipose and liver ranged from 2 to 570. The blood-brain barrier appeared to be effective in minimizing brain accumulation as BMFs were <= 1 in the brain, with the exception of SumOH-PBBs (mean BMF = 93±54). Unlike OH-PCB metabolites, OH-PBDEs in the bear tissues appeared to be mainly accumulated from the seal blubber rather than being metabolic formed from PBDEs in the bears. In vitro PBDE depletion assays using polar bear hepatic microsomes, wherein the rate of oxidative metabolism of PBDE congeners was very slow, supported the probability that accumulation from seals is the main source of OH-PBDEs in the bear tissues. Our findings demonstrated from ringed seal to polar bears that organohalogen biotransformation, bioaccumulation and/or biomagnification varied widely and depended on the contaminant in question. Our results show the increasing complexity of bioaccumulated and in some cases biomagnified, chlorinated and brominated contaminants and/or metabolites from the diet may be a contributing stress factor in the health of East Greenland polar bears. : All values are per gram lipid weight. No. samples > MLOQ = 15 (or 0 if value = '<0.01') if not otherwise indicated.PCBs monitored: CB-28/31,-42,-44,-49,-52,-60,-64/71,-66/95,-70,-74,-84/101,-87,-97,-99,-105,-110,-118,-128,-129/178,-138,-141,-146,-149,-151,-153,-156/171/202,-158,-170/190,-172,-174,-177,-179,-180,-182/187,-183,-194,-195,-196/203,-200,-201 and -206.MeSO2-PCBs monitored: 3'/4'-MeSO2-CB49,3/4-MeSO2-CB52,3/4-MeSO2-CB64,3/4-MeSO2-CB70,3'/4'-MeSO2-CB87,3/4-MeSO2-CB91,3'/4'-MeSO2-CB101,3/4-MeSO2-CB110,3'/4'-MeSO2-CB132,3'/4'-MeSO2-CB141,3/4-MeSO2-CB149,3/4-MeSO2-CB174.OH-PCB monitored (determined as MeO-derivatives): 4'-OH-CB79,4-OH-CB97,4'-OH-CB101/4-OH-CB134,4-OH-CB107/4'-OH-CB108,2'-OH-CB114,3-OH-CB118,4'-OH-CB120,4'-OH-CB127,4'-OH-CB130,3'-OH-CB138,4-OH-CB146,4'-OH-CB159,4-OH-CB162,4-OH-CB163,4'-OH-CB172,4'-OH-CB177,4-OH-CB178,3'-OH-CB180,3'-OH-CB182,3'-OH-CB183,3'-OH-CB184,4-OH-CB187,4-OH-CB193,4'-OH-CB199,4'-OH-CB200,4'-OH-CB201,4'-OH-CB202,4,4'-diOH-CB202,3'-OH-CB203/4'-OH-CB198,4'-OH-CB208.CHLs monitored: oxychlordane, trans-chlordane, cis-chlordane, trans-nonachlor, cis-nonachlor, heptachlor-epoxide. PBDEs monitored: BDE-17,28,-47,-66,-85,-99,-100,-138,-153,-154,-183,-190,-209. OH-PBDEs monitored (determined as MeO-derivatives): 6'-OH-BDE17,6'-OH-BDE17,6'-OH-BDE49,2'-OH-BDE68,6-OH-BDE47,3-OH-BDE47,5-OH-BDE47,4'-OH-BDE49,4-OH-BDE42,6-OH-BDE90,6-OH-BDE99,2-OH-BDE123,6-OH-BDE85,6-OH-BDE137.MeO-PBDEs monitored: 4'-MeO-BDE17,6'-MeO-BDE17,2'-MeO-BDE28,4-MeO-BDE42,3-MeO-BDE47,5-MeO-BDE47,6-MeO-BDE47,4'-MeO-BDE49,6'-MeO-BDE49,2'-MeO-BDE68,6-MeO-BDE85,6-MeO-BDE90,6-MeO-BDE99,2-MeO-BDE123,6-MeO-BDE137.OH-PBBs monitored (determined as MeO-derivatives): one tri-brominated and two tetra-brominated OH-PBBs. Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150