Perfluoroalkyl substances detected in the world's southernmost marine mammal, the Weddell seal ( Leptonychotes weddellii )

This study investigates concentrations of 18 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in blood plasma of adult lactating Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) (n = 10) from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) was detected in all samples at concentrations ranging from 0.08 to 0.23...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental Pollution
Main Authors: Routti, Heli, Krafft, Bjørn A., Herzke, Dorte, Eisert, Regina, Oftedal, Olav T.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2015
Subjects:
Antarctic
McMurdo Sound
The Antarctic
Weddell
Antarc*
Antarctica
Weddell Seal
Weddell Seals
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10088/25659
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2014.11.026
Description
Summary:This study investigates concentrations of 18 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in blood plasma of adult lactating Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) (n = 10) from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) was detected in all samples at concentrations ranging from 0.08 to 0.23 ng/ml. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexanoate (PFHxA) and perfluorotridecanoate (PFTriDA) were sporadically detected, while the remaining compounds were below the limit of detection. This is the first report of detectible concentrations of PFASs in an endemic Antarctic marine mammal species. We suggest that the pollutants have been subjected to long range atmospheric transportation and/or derive from a local source. A review of these and published data indicate that perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) dominate in biotic PFAS patterns in species feeding south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), whereas PFOS was the major PFAS detected in species feeding predominantly north of the current. SERC Peer-reviewed

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