Pre-oil spill baseline profiling for contaminants in Southern Resident killer whale fecal samples indicates possible exposure to vessel exhaust.

Autor: Lundin JI; Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States of America. Electronic address: jessica.lundin.uwalumni@gmail.com., Ylitalo GM; Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112, United States of America., Giles DA; University of Washington Friday Harbor Labs, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, United States of America., Seely EA; Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States of America., Anulacion BF; Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112, United States of America., Boyd DT; Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112, United States of America., Hempelmann JA; Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112, United States of America., Parsons KM; Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Building 4, Seattle, WA 98115, United States of America; Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112, United States of America., Booth RK; Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States of America., Wasser SK; Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States of America.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Marine pollution bulletin [Mar Pollut Bull] 2018 Nov; Vol. 136, pp. 448-453. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Sep 27.
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.09.015
Abstrakt: The Southern Resident killer whale population (Orcinus orca) was listed as endangered in 2005 and shows little sign of recovery. Exposure to contaminants and risk of an oil spill are identified threats. Previous studies on contaminants have largely focused on legacy pollutants. Here we measure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in whale fecal (scat) samples. PAHs are a diverse group of hazardous compounds (e.g., carcinogenic, mutagenic), and are a component of crude and refined oil as well as motor exhaust. The central finding from this study indicates low concentrations of the measured PAHs (<10 ppb, wet weight), as expected; however, PAHs were as high as 104 ppb prior to implementation of guidelines mandating increased distance between vessels and whales. While causality is unclear, the potential PAH exposure from vessels warrants continued monitoring. Historical precedent similarly emphasizes the importance of having pre-oil spill exposure data available as baseline to guide remediation goals.
(Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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