ORGANOHALOGEN CONTAMINANTS AND METABOLITES IN BELUGA WHALE (DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS) LIVER FROM TWO CANADIAN POPULATIONS

Contaminants described as organochlorines are present in tissues of marine mammals, including beluga whales, but the complexity of contaminant exposure often is not fully known

Melissa A. McKinney; Sylvain De Guise; Daniel Martineau; Pierre Béland; Michel Lebeuf; Robert J. Letcher

2006

Scholarcy highlights

  • Contaminants described as organochlorines are present in tissues of marine mammals, including beluga whales, but the complexity of contaminant exposure often is not fully known
  • The ΣOH-PCB concentrations were less than 0.2% of the ΣPCBs in both populations but were higher in SLB than in CAB
  • The ΣMeSO2-PCB concentrations were higher in SLB relative to CAB and were 11 and 4%, respectively, of the ΣPCB concentrations
  • The OH-polybrominated diphenyl ether and MeO-PBDEs most likely are of natural origin and accumulated in beluga whales, whereas the OH-PCBs and MeSO2-PCBs are metabolites derived from accumulated PCBs
  • Canadian beluga whale liver contains previously unidentified organohalogen contaminants and metabolites and, a complexity of contaminant exposure that may be impacting the health of Canadian beluga whale populations

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