Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PCBs) in harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) livers from San Francisco Bay, California and Gulf of Maine

• Published in: Marine Environmental Research
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2011
• Subjects: Hydroxylated PCB metabolites; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Harbor seal liver; San Francisco Bay; Gulf of Maine; Beluga; Beluga whale; Beluga*; harbor seal; Phoca vitulina
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2262/50275; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2008.12.003

Abstract Bioaccumulation of endocrine disruptors in marine mammals positioned at the top of the food chain is of toxicological concern. Stranded four pup and ten adult harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) livers were collected from San Francisco Bay and the Gulf of Maine and analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PCBs). We used GC-ECD and GC-NCI/MS to investigate the presence of 28 PCBs and 8 OH-PCB metabolites, respectively. ?28PCB concentrations (di- to octa-CBs) ranged from 1.81 to 35.9 ?g/g lipid with a median of 6.53 for the seal pups and 2.31 to 249 ?g/g lipid with a median of 28.9 for the adult seals. ?8OH-PCB concentrations (penta- to hepta-OH-PCBs) ranged from 0.02 to 0.69 ?g/g lipid with a median of 0.04 for the adult seals, i.e., at much lower concentrations than those for PCBs. Ratios of OH-PCBs to PCBs (0.24% on average) were comparable to those in beluga whale, but were lower than ratios in human livers. The OH-PCB profiles were slightly different between SFB and GOM seal livers although similar PCB congener patterns were observed. Generally, 4-OH-CB107 was found predominantly in seal livers and was the only OH-PCB detectable in most of seal pup livers. This study provides information on OH-PCBs in seals, adding to the scarce exposure data for these chemicals. correspondence: Corresponding author. (Park, June-Soo) [e-mail] (Park, June-Soo) Department of Toxic Substances Control, California Environmental Protection Agency - Berkeley--> , California 94710--> - UNITED STATES (Park, June-Soo) UNITED STATES (Park, June-Soo) Department of Toxic Substances Control, California Environmental Protection Agency - Berkeley--> , California 94710--> - UNITED STATES (Kalantzi, Olga Ioanna) Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maine - Orono--> , Maine 04469--> - UNITED STATES (Kopec, Dianne) Department of Toxic Substances Control, California Environmental Protection Agency - Berkeley--> , California 94710--> - UNITED STATES (Petreas, Myrto) UNITED STATES Received: 2007-08-09 Revised: 2008-12-11 Accepted: 2008-12-12