Bioaccumulation of PCBs, OCPs and PBDEs in Marine Mammals From West Antarctica

To understand the bioaccumulation and food web dynamics of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as a function of species, age and sex in Antarctic mammals, blubber samples of 3 killer whales (Type C) and 77 pinnipeds (Weddell, Ross and crabeater seals) were collected from the Southern Ocean, Antarct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in Marine Science
Main Authors: Mohammed Khairy, Emily Brault, Rebecca Dickhut, Karin C. Harding, Tero Harkonen, Olle Karlsson, Kristina Lehnert, Jonas Teilmann, Rainer Lohmann
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Subjects:
Ross seal
Weddell seal
crabeater seal
killer whale
POPs
DDT
Science
Q
General. Including nature conservation
geographical distribution
QH1-199.5
Antarctic
Southern Ocean
West Antarctica
Weddell
Antarc*
Antarctica
Crabeater Seal
Crabeater Seals
Killer Whale
Ross Seal
Weddell Seal
Killer whale
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.768715
https://doaj.org/article/26bb596bc48645fbbdba9e8d4241bbd7
Description
Summary:To understand the bioaccumulation and food web dynamics of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as a function of species, age and sex in Antarctic mammals, blubber samples of 3 killer whales (Type C) and 77 pinnipeds (Weddell, Ross and crabeater seals) were collected from the Southern Ocean, Antarctica. They were analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). ΣDDTs, Σ29PCBs and chlordanes (12 – 4,600, 13 – 1,600, and < 1.5 – 1,700 ng/g lipid, respectively) were the most abundant POPs. Killer whales typically displayed several times greater concentrations of POPs compared to seals, except for PBDEs. PCBs and PBDEs were consistently higher in adult crabeater and Weddell seal males, and in adult female Ross seals than in other sex and age groups reflecting an age accumulation and possible influence of segregated diet, foraging areas, and metabolic transformation rates. POPs concentrations significantly correlated with gene transcription of nuclear receptors involved in detoxification of contaminants and immune relevant cell mediators in the crabeater seals, indicating possible immunotoxic and deleterious health effects. This represents one of the largest studies on POPs in Antarctic marine predators and highlights the complexity of POPs bioaccumulation.

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