Levels of C₁₀−C₁₃ Polychloro-n-Alkanes in Marine Mammals from the Arctic and the St. Lawrence River Estuary

Abstract

Marine mammals from various regions of the Arctic and the St. Lawrence River estuary were examined for the first time for levels of C 10 -C 13 polychloro-n-alkanes (sPCAs). Respective mean total sPCA concentrations in the blubber of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from Saqqaq and Nuussuaq, western Greenland, were 0.23 ( 0.02 (n ) 2) and 0.164 ( 0.06 µg/g (n ) 2), similar to that in beluga from the Mackenzie Delta in the western Canadian Arctic 0.21 ( 0.08 µg/g (n ) 3). sPCAs levels were higher in beluga blubber from the St. Lawrence River (0.37 to 1.4 µg/g). Mean sPCA concentrations in the blubber samples from walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) (Thule, northwest Greenland) and ringed seal (Phoca hispida) (Eureka, southwest Ellesmere Island) were 0.43 ( 0.06 (n ) 2) and 0.53 ( 0.2 µg/g (n ) 6), respectively. Relative to commercial sPCA formulations, samples from the Arctic marine mammals showed a predominance of the shorter chain length lower percent chlorinated PCA congeners, the more volatile components of industrial formulations. This observation is consistent with long-range atmospheric transport of sPCAs to this region. The profiles of the belugas from the St. Lawrence River estuary, however, had higher proportions of the less volatile sPCA congeners, implying that contamination to this region is probably from local sources.

Occurrence, bioaccumulation and long-range transport of short-chain chlorinated paraffins on the Fildes Peninsula at King George Island, Antarctica

“…3) (Borgen et al, 2002;Houde et al, 2008;Ma et al, 2014a;Reth et al, 2006;Tomy et al, 2000;Zeng et al, 2011b). The high volatility and water solubility of shorter carbon chain congeners might explain the higher proportion of C 10 congeners in Antarctic samples.…”

“…The detection of SCCPs in the polar regions would provide direct evidence for their long-range transport, but SCCPs have been observed in polar regions in only a few studies. The concentrations of SCCPs were studied in the biota and sediment samples from Arctic and sub-Arctic environments (Reth et al, 2006;Strid et al, 2013;Tomy et al, 2000;Tomy et al, 1999). For Antarctica, the only data for SCCPs are from the air samples collected on the Fildes Peninsula (Ma et al, 2014c).…”

Temporal Trends and Pattern Changes of Short- and Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins in Marine Mammals from the South China Sea over the Past Decade

“…1 Currently available data indicate that CPs, especially SCCPs, are persistent in the environment, 2 are toxic to aquatic organisms and carcinogenic to mammals, 3−5 have the potential to bioaccumulate and/or biomagnify in fresh and marine food webs, 6−8 and can be prone to long-range atmospheric transport due to their semivolatile properties. 9,10 A global regulation/ban on SCCPs as a persistent organic pollutant (POP) candidate is being reviewed under the Stockholm Convention, 11 but the current information is insufficient to adequately assess the chemicals.…”

Short- and Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins in Air and Soil of Subtropical Terrestrial Environment in the Pearl River Delta, South China: Distribution, Composition, Atmospheric Deposition Fluxes, and Environmental Fate

“…7 The toxicity of MCCPs is lower compared to SCCPs, but they are widely used and show higher concentration levels than SCCPs. 2,8 As a consequence of their widespread and unrestricted use, 9 persistence, and tendency to bioaccumulate, 10,11 CPs have become ubiquitous in the environment and are routinely detected in most natural environmental compartments, 3,12−15 as well as the human living environment. 16−18 Once released, semivolatile organic chemicals (SOCs), like CPs, are cycling between the atmosphere and terrestrial environment over long periods of time as they move toward equilibrium between environmental compartments, 19,20 because they are persistent and can undergo long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT).…”