| Summary: | Cellulose filter paper (FP) is a novel approach for the collection of marine mammal whole blood (WB) used in persistent organic pollutant (POP) analysis. The present study targeted 15 POP compounds within whole blood collected from marine mammals by Advantec Nobuto® cellulose filter paper. The 15 POP compounds targeted in the present study comprised of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs). Advantec Nobuto® cellulose filter paper soaked with WB of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), along with their corresponding WB (collected between September and November 2014 at the Shedd Aquarium), was extracted and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) at San Diego State University in 2018. Least squares linear regression was fit for concentrations of POPs measured from cellulose FP compared to WB. Linear regression was significant in all target POPs with p-values <0.00, unadjusted slopes ranging between 1.09 to 2.04, and R2 values ranging between 0.70 to 0.97. Slopes, with intercepts set to zero, ranged between 1.15 to 2.30, with R2 values ranging between 0.70 to 0.94. These findings show that cellulose FP has the potential to retain dried whole blood with POP concentrations comparable to WB, and demonstrates the potential to replace common methods of whole blood collection. This method of whole blood collection also requires a small volume of blood with minimal storage requirements; therefore, utilizing cellulose filter paper for whole blood collection can vastly expand to wildlife in remote locations for biomonitoring of POPs. Further investigation should be done in order to further validate this method of whole blood collection in marine mammals. KEY WORDS: GC/MS, marine mammal, Nobuto® filter paper, organochlorine pesticide, persistent organic pollutant, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers San Diego State University
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