Intrapopulation and temporal differences of phthalate concentrations in North Atlantic fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus)

• Published in: Chemosphere
• Main Authors: Garcia-Garin, Odei, Sahyoun, Wissam, Net, Sopheak, Vighi, Morgana, Aguilar, Alex, Ouddane, Baghdad, Víkingsson, Gísli, Chosson, Valerie, Borrell, Asunción
• Other Authors: Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat - Biodiversity Research Institute Barcelona, Spain (IRBio UB), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Laboratoire Avancé de Spectroscopie pour les Intéractions la Réactivité et l'Environnement - UMR 8516 (LASIRE), Institut de Chimie - CNRS Chimie (INC-CNRS)-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI), We thank the MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and FSE “El FSE invierte en tu futuro” for supporting O. Garcia-Garin with a Ph.D. FPU scholarship (FPU17/00073). We also thank the Fundació Montcelimar – Universitat de Barcelona for supporting O. Garcia-Garin with a mobility grant. This study was part of project PID2020-119712 GB-I00 funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of Spain, MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2022
• Subjects: [SDE]Environmental Sciences; Balaenoptera physalus; baleen whales; Fin whale; Iceland; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03896441; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134453

International audience The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is a migratory filter-feeding species that is susceptible to ingest plastics while lunge feeding across the oceans. Plastic additives, such as phthalates, are compounds that are added to plastics to give them specific characteristics, such as flexibility. These so-called plasticizers are currently raising major concern because of their potential adverse effects on marine fauna. However, little is known about phthalate concentrations in tissues of baleen whales as well as their potential relation with biological variables (i.e., sex, body length and age) and their trends with time. In this study, we assessed the concentration of 13 phthalates in the muscle of 31 fin whales sampled in the feeding grounds off western Iceland between 1986 and 2015. We detected 5 of the 13 phthalates investigated, with di-n-butylphthalate (DBP), diethylphthalate (DEP) and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) being the most abundant. None of the biological variables examined showed a statistically significant relationship with phthalate concentrations. Also, phthalate concentrations did not significantly vary over the 29-year period studied, a surprising result given the global scenario of increasing plastic pollution in the seas. The lack of time trends in phthalate concentration may be due in part to the fact that phthalates also originate from other sources. Although no adverse effects of phthalates on fin whales have been detected to date, further monitoring of these pollutants is required to identify potential toxic effects in the future.