Decreasing concentrations of persistent organic pollutant in embryos of the Wilson's storm-petrel

• Main Authors: 3rd World Seabird Conference 2021, Kuepper, Nadja
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Underline Science Inc. 2021
• Subjects: Ecosystem; Ecology; FOS Biological sciences; Climate Change; Pollution; Argentino; King George Island; Antarc*; Antarctica; Instituto Antártico Argentino
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.48448/0tp6-c731; https://underline.io/lecture/34788-decreasing-concentrations-of-persistent-organic-pollutant-in-embryos-of-the-wilson's-storm-petrel

Abstract: In our industrialized world huge amounts of pollutants that are persistent to environmental degradation are released into air and water each year. Many, known to cause severe harm to health and environment, have been banned from the markets in several countries for decades by now. However, due to their stability they will continue to exist for decades to come. In our study we investigated the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites (DDX) in embryos from failed eggs of the smallest seabird breeding in Antarctica, the Wilson's storm-petrel (Oceanites oceanicus). By atmospheric transport, organic pollutants reach the remotest areas of the world such as Antarctica. When deposited in polar areas, low temperatures and limited solar radiation lead to long environmental residence times, and they bioaccumulate in biota. To investigate if exposure to pollutants in their food changed over time we compared samples collected at King George Island from the early 2000s to recent years. We detected eight PCBs and two DDX in the embryos. Additionally we found seven more PCBs that could be qualified, but had concentrations below quantification limits. We found a high increase in concentrations in embryos during their last third of development. In general we found higher concentrations in samples from the early 2000s compared to more recent years. This decrease over time is reported also for other pelagic species, and could show a positive effect of the ban of these substances in many countries. Authors: Nadja Kuepper¹, Leonard Böhm¹, Paco Bustamante², Marcela Libertelli³, Petra Quillfeldt¹ ¹Justus Liebig University of Giessen, ²Université de La Rochelle, ³Instituto Antártico Argentino