Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in baltic and atlantic gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) pups

Abstract

Organochlorine pollutants (OCs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT, chlordanes (CHLs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were determined in blubber biopsies from free-ranging Baltic and Atlantic gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) pups. Well-fed pups from the Baltic Sea had concentrations of DDT, PCBs, and HCHs that were 2 to 10 times higher than in corresponding pups from populations in the Atlantic Ocean. The OC pattern in the Baltic seals differed significantly from that of their Atlantic relatives, reflecting the predominance of regional point source inputs into the Baltic Sea and long-range atmospheric inputs into the Atlantic Ocean. The differences in the pattern of the compounds also indicated an enhanced metabolism of the more metabolizable compounds in the more contaminated Baltic seals. Surprisingly, the proportions of the high chlorinated and low-volatile PCB congeners (> 6 Cl atoms) were comparable or lower in the Baltic pups as compared to the Atlantic pups. This difference might be due to Baltic seals occupying a lower trophic level than Atlantic seals and/or to the eutrophication situation in the Baltic Sea, which causes sedimentation of these PCB congeners. Significantly higher OC concentrations were found in starved and/or abandoned Baltic pups as compared to well-fed pups. The most contaminated Baltic seal pups in the present study had PCB concentrations that are comparable or higher than those reported to impair the immune systems and vitamin A dynamics in phocids.

Immunotoxicity of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) in Free-Ranging Gray Seal Pups with Special Emphasis on Dioxin-Like Congeners

“…Hence, PCB concentrations were analyzed in 17 of the 39 Baltic seals and 11 of the 25 Atlantic seals. PCB concentrations in the pups of the present study and a detailed description of the analytical procedure were presented elsewhere (Sørmo et al, 2003b). The most abundant AhR agonist, PCB-118, was detected in all pups sampled (Table 1).…”

“…However, none of the individual . Data from Sørmo et al (2003b). PCB were observed to account for variation in the PHA response.…”

“…Studies of effects of PCB in newborn phocid seals are particularly interesting because the mother seal exposes her pup to high levels of PCB both during the gestation period and during lactation (Addison & Stobo 1993;Jenssen et al, 1996;Sørmo et al, 2003a). In 1998, PCB concentrations in Baltic gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) were still 5-to 10-fold higher than in seals from cleaner waters of the Atlantic Ocean (Sørmo et al, 2003b). The significant difference in PCB levels in Baltic and Atlantic gray seal populations offered a unique opportunity to study how pollution affected populations of marine mammals.…”

Relationships between PCBs and thyroid hormones and retinol in female and male polar bears.

“…The analytical quality of the laboratory has been approved in several intercalibration tests containing components and matrices relevant to the work, and the laboratory is accredited by Norwegian Accreditation as a testing laboratory for OCs as described by Sørmo et al (2003).…”

Molecular biomarkers in grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) to evaluate pollutant exposure, health and immune status

“…As top predators they can bioaccumulate high levels of contaminants such as organochlorines (Sormo et al, 2003;Debier et al, 2003), trace elements, and metals (Teigen et al, 1999;Das et al, 2003;Kakuschke and Prange, 2007) and may be considered as sentinel species of pollution (Bossart, 2006) and eco-system health in their marine environment (Reddy et al, 2001). Grey seals are recolonizing German North and Baltic Sea areas after a century of hunting and several decades of impaired reproductive rates and other pathological effects caused by environmental pollution (Bergman, 1999;Bergman and Olsson, 1985;Bäcklin et al, 2003;Harding et al, 2007).…”