The distribution of fluoride in some antarctic seals

Osteofluorosis in free ranging California sea lions (Zalophus californianus)

“…However, more surprising was that the control CSL fluoride concentrations were nearly three times that reported from normal adult cattle (600 to 900 ppm) (Maxie, 2016). The higher baseline fluoride concentrations in the control CSLs of our study is similar to the findings for normal beluga whales (mean 10,365 ppm dw) harvested in Hudson's Bay, Canada (Mikaelian et al, 1999), North Atlantic fin whales (mean 8,300 and 9,800 ppm) harvested in Iceland, and Antarctic seals (range 878-4442 ppm dw) (Adelung et al, 1985). Further studies are needed to fully characterize baseline fluoride levels in various marine mammals.…”

The fin whale, a marine top consumer, exposes strengths and weaknesses of the use of fluoride as ecological tracer

“…Soevik and Braekkan (1979) found levels of fluoride in the range 1330-2400 mg kg À1 fat free dry weight in whole body of North Atlantic Meganyctiphanes norvegica and Antarctic Euphausia superba, and Sands et al (1998) reported levels of up to 5977 mg kg À1 dry weight in the exoskeleton of Antarctic Euphausia crystallorophias and of 12800 mg kg À1 dry weight in the mouth parts of Antarctic E. superba. Consistently with these high levels in krill, most vertebrates feeding on these krill, such as Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae), crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus), minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), also show high fluoride content in their bones and other skeletal structures (Schneppenheim, 1980;Adelung et al, 1985;Walton, 1988;Landy et al, 1991;Alne, 1995). However, similarly as marine fishes (Julshamn et al, 2004), these species appear to tolerate well high levels of exposure to fluoride.…”

“…When compared with krill, fluoride concentrations in the bone of the studied fin whales were more than three times higher than those in krill, indicating some level of bio-accumulation of this element through the food web. Thus, bone concentrations ranged 5051-14913 mg kg À1 ash, values similar to those obtained by Landy et al (1991) in a previous study on W Icelandic fin whales, and of the same order of magnitude of those found in bone of other marine mammals, like beluga whales from St. Lawrence Estuary (873-7336 mg kg À1 ash) and Hudson Bay (7186-17686 mg kg À1 ash) (Mikaelian et al, 1999), Antarctic crabeater seals (1337-6380 mg kg À1 dry weight), and Antarctic Weddell seals, Leptonychotes weddellii (878-2200 mg kg À1 dry weight) (Adelung et al, 1985).…”

“…Indeed, the interest in the use of krill or krill derived products, both for human and for aquaculture, has dramatically increased (Nicol and Foster, 2003), and the potential of fluoride to accumulate along the food web raises concern. However, the actual risks from the perspective of food security are usually considered low because the fluoride content of meat and other edible tissues of vertebrates is very low even in the highly polluted species (Wright and Davison, 1975;Adelung et al, 1985).…”

INTERACTIVE EFFECTS OF WARM ACCLIMATION, LOW SALINITY, AND TROPHIC FLUORIDE ON THE LIVER METABOLISM OF THE ANTARCTIC FISH Notothenia rossii

“…All Antarctic vertebrates directly or indirectly feed on krill and are consequently exposed to elevated levels of uoride present in the carapace of these crustaceans. Generally, in Antarctic conditions, krill-eating animals have the ability to live with high levels of uoride in the diet, without any symptoms of uorosis, even though this halogen can potentially inhibit many metabolic enzymes (Adelung et al, 1985). e aim of this study was to investigate the thermo-salinetrophic interactions involved in elevated temperatures and low salinity in the presence of uoride in the diet, and to show how this halogen could modulate the metabolism of N. rossii, particularly, the enzymes of argininolytic metabolism (arginase) and oxidative stress (glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase and catalase).…”