High Levels of Legacy and Emerging Contaminants in Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) from Norway, 2015 to 2017

Little is known of the movement or presence of unregulated, emerging contaminants in top predators. The aim of the present study was to conduct the first screening of legacy and emerging contaminants in multiple tissues of killer whales (Orcinus orca) from Norway and investigate tissue partitioning...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental toxicology and chemistry 2021-07, Vol.40 (7), p.1850-1860
Main Authors: Andvik, Clare, Jourdain, Eve, Lyche, Jan L., Karoliussen, Richard, Borgå, Katrine
Format: Article
Language:eng ; nor
Subjects:
Animals
Aquatic mammals
Arctic Regions
Blubber
Bromination
Contaminants
Dolphins
Emerging pollutants
Environmental Monitoring
Flame retardants
Flame Retardants - analysis
Lipids
Marine mammals
Marine pollution
Maternal transfer
Mercury
Mercury (metal)
Muscles
Orcinus orca
PCB
Perfluoroalkyl & polyfluoroalkyl substances
Perfluoroalkyl substance
Physiological effects
Polar environments
Pollution monitoring
Polychlorinated biphenyls
Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis
Predators
Retardants
Spleen
Tissues
Toxicology
Whale, Killer
Wildlife toxicology
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Summary:Little is known of the movement or presence of unregulated, emerging contaminants in top predators. The aim of the present study was to conduct the first screening of legacy and emerging contaminants in multiple tissues of killer whales (Orcinus orca) from Norway and investigate tissue partitioning and maternal transfer. Blubber was collected from 8 killer whales in 2015 to 2017, in addition to muscle from 5 of the individuals, and kidney, liver, heart, and spleen from a neonate. We screened for 4 unregulated brominated flame retardants and found pentabromotoluene (PBT) and hexabromobenzene (HBB) at low levels in the blubber of all individuals (median PBT 0.091 ng/g lipid wt, median HBB 1.4 ng/g lipid wt). Levels of PBT and HBB (wet wt) were twice as high in the blubber than the muscle for each individual, confirming preferential accumulation in lipid‐rich tissues. Perfluoroalkyl substances and total mercury levels were lower in the neonate than adults, suggesting less efficient maternal transfer of these substances. Polychlorinated biphenyl levels in blubber exceeded the threshold for onset of physiological effects (9 µg/g lipid wt) in 7 of the 8 whales, including the neonate. The presence of PBT and HBB in the neonate is the first evidence of maternal transfer of these unregulated contaminants in marine mammals. Our results are relevant for the continued environmental monitoring of contaminants in the Arctic. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1850–1860. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. A range of legacy and emerging contaminants were found in 8 killer whales (Orcinus orca) stranded or by‐caught along the coast of Norway, including in a 10‐d‐old nursing neonate. PFAS = perfluoroalkyl substances; PCB = polychlorinated biphenyl; PBT = pentabromotoluene; HBB = hexabromobenzene.
ISSN:0730-7268
1552-8618
DOI:10.1002/etc.5064