Publication: Stranded cetaceans warn of high perfluoroalkyl substance pollution in the western Mediterranean Sea
Authors
López Berenguer, Gabriel ; Bossi, R. ; Eulaers, I. ; Dietz, R. ; Peñalver, J. ; Schulz, R. ; Zubrod, J. ; Sonne, Christian ; Martínez-López, Emma
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Publisher
Elsevier
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115367
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. This document is the Published Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Environmental Pollution. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115367
Abstract
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of organohalogenated compounds of environmental
concern due to similar characteristics as the well-studied legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that
typically show environmental persistence, biomagnification and toxicity. Nevertheless, PFAS are still
poorly regulated internationally and in many aspects poorly understood. Here, we studied liver and
muscle concentrations in five cetacean species stranded at the southeastern coast of Spain during 2009
e2018. Twelve of the fifteen targeted compounds were detected in >50% of the liver samples. Hepatic
concentrations were significantly higher than those in muscle reflecting the particular toxicokinetics of
these compounds. Bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus showed the highest hepatic SPFAS (n ¼ 5;
796.8 ± 709.0 ng g 1 ww) concentrations, followed by striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba (n ¼ 29;
259.5 ± 136.2 ng g 1 ww), sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus (n ¼ 1; 252.8 ng g 1 ww), short-beaked
commondolphin Delphinus delphis (n ¼ 2; 240.3 ± 218.6 ng g 1 ww) and Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus
(n ¼ 1; 78.7 ng g 1 ww). These interspecies differences could be partially explained by habitat prefer
ences, although they could generally not be related to trophic position or food chain proxied by stable N
(d15N) and C (d13C) isotope values, respectively. PFAS profiles in all species showed a similar pattern of
concentration prevalence in the order PFOS>PFOSA>PFNAzPFFUnA>PFDA. The higher number of
samples available for striped dolphin allowed for evaluating their PFAS burden and profile in relation to
the stranding year, stable isotope values, and biological variables including sex and length. However, we
could only find links between d15N and PFAS burdens in muscle tissue, and between stranding year and
PFAS profile composition. Despite reductions in the manufacturing industry, these compounds still
appear in high concentrations compared to more than two decades ago in the Mediterranean Sea and
PFOS remains the dominating compound.
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Citation
Environmental Pollution , 2020, Vol. 267 : 115367
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