RESUMEN
Biological reference materials (RMs) are essential for quality assurance, traceability of measurement results and for method validation. When addressing new measurement questions or emerging regulatory issues, rigorous large-scale CRM production may not be time efficient or economically practical using current production methods. By amending a relatively small matrix batch with a compound(s) of interest at the homogenization step, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can create a custom material on an "as-needed" basis and circumvent the time delay inherent in large-batch production, thereby generating a fit-for-purpose, rapid-response RM. Here, Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) was cryohomogenized and spiked with an aquaculture antibiotic and antibiotic metabolite. The resultant material was analyzed using liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) to determine the effectiveness of the amendment technique in a fresh-frozen matrix by assessing homogeneity and accuracy to the target concentration (e.g. mass fraction). Target mass fractions were achieved for both spike components, with RSDs below 5% in replicate measurements of each compound (n = 8). The stability of the spiked compounds was assessed one year post-production and mass fractions were stable, within 1-6% of the initial measurement results, indicating minimal change to the amended analyte concentrations over time. The results support this method as a promising new technique for custom, small-batch RM generation.
Asunto(s)
Frío , Estándares de Referencia , Animales , Cromatografía Liquida/métodos , Oncorhynchus kisutch , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Espectrometría de Masas en Tándem/métodosRESUMEN
During native subsistence hunts from 1987 to 2007, blubber and liver samples from 50 subadult male northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) were collected on St. Paul Island, Alaska. Samples were analyzed for legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), recently phased-out/current-use POPs, and vitamins. The legacy POPs measured from blubber samples included polychlorinated biphenyl congeners, DDT (and its metabolites), chlorobenzenes, chlordanes, and mirex. Recently phased-out/current-use POPs included in the blubber analysis were the flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and hexabromocyclododecanes. The chemical surfactants, perfluorinated alkyl acids, and vitamins A and E were assessed in the liver samples. Overall, concentrations of legacy POPs are similar to levels seen in seal samples from other areas of the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Statistically significant correlations were seen between compounds with similar functions (pesticides, flame retardants, vitamins). With sample collection spanning two decades, the temporal trends in the concentrations of POPs and vitamins were assessed. For these animals, the concentrations of the legacy POPs tend to decrease or stay the same with sampling year; however, the concentrations of the current-use POPs increased with sampling year. Vitamin concentrations tended to stay the same across the sampling years. With the population of northern fur seals from St. Paul Island on the decline, a detailed assessment of exposure to contaminants and the correlations with vitamins fills a critical gap for identifying potential population risk factors that might be associated with health effects.
Asunto(s)
Lobos Marinos/metabolismo , Hidrocarburos Halogenados/metabolismo , Vitaminas/metabolismo , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/metabolismo , Tejido Adiposo/metabolismo , Alaska , Animales , Éteres Difenilos Halogenados/metabolismo , Bifenilos Policlorados/metabolismo , Vitamina ARESUMEN
The stability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and chlorinated pesticides in frozen mussel tissue Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) stored at -80 °C was assessed by analyzing samples of SRM 1974, SRM 1974a, and SRM 1974b Organics in Mussel Tissue (Mytilus edulis) periodically over 25 y, 20 y, and 12 y, respectively. The most recent analyses were performed during the certification of the fourth release of this material, SRM 1974c. Results indicate the concentrations of these persistent organic pollutants have not changed during storage at -80 °C. In addition, brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs) were quantified in each of the materials during this study. The stability information is important for on-going monitoring studies collecting large quantities of samples for future analyses (i.e., formally established specimen banking programs). Since all four mussel tissue SRMs were prepared from mussels collected at the same site in Dorchester Bay, MA, USA, the results provide a temporal trend study for these contaminants over a 17 year period (1987 to 2004).
Asunto(s)
Mytilus edulis/química , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisis , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/normas , Animales , Bahías , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Congelación , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas/métodos , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas/normas , Massachusetts , Plaguicidas/análisis , Plaguicidas/normas , Bifenilos Policlorados/análisis , Bifenilos Policlorados/normas , Hidrocarburos Policíclicos Aromáticos/análisis , Hidrocarburos Policíclicos Aromáticos/normas , Estándares de Referencia , Factores de TiempoRESUMEN
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has established a Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program (DSQAP) in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH-ODS). The DSQAP invites laboratories twice annually to participate in interlaboratory studies where participants elect to measure concentrations of nutritional and/or toxic elements as well as active and/or marker compounds. One of these studies was designed to determine the effects of material granularity and sample processing techniques on measurement variability (precision) as well as to provide participating laboratories information on their performance relative to the NIST assigned values (bias) and to the other participants (concordance). Participants were asked to determine the mass fractions of Ca, Fe, and Zn, in mg/kg, in six breakfast cereal samples. Cereal samples consisted of three ground materials (homogenized wheat, wheat, and rice), two flake materials (wheat and rice) and a partially crushed material (a wheat/rice mixture). In general, approximately 25% of the laboratories processed and analyzed the suite of six cereal materials with adequate to exemplary measurement precision. Over half of the laboratories (60%) experienced measurement issues related to only a particular type of cereal matrix or for only a single element. A small number (15%) of laboratories experienced significant sample processing or measurement problems. Future studies planned by the DSQAP may be designed to use commercial products to aid laboratories with their sampling and analytical techniques.
Asunto(s)
Grano Comestible/química , Metales Pesados/análisis , Cromatografía Liquida , Análisis de los Alimentos , Humanos , Control de Calidad , Estándares de Referencia , Valores de Referencia , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Espectrometría de Masas en TándemRESUMEN
Polar regions should be given greater consideration with respect to the monitoring, risk assessment, and management of potentially harmful chemicals, consistent with requirements of the precautionary principle. Protecting the vulnerable polar environments requires (i) raising political and public awareness and (ii) restricting and preventing global emissions of harmful chemicals at their sources. The Berlin Statement is the outcome of an international workshop with representatives of the European Commission, the Arctic Council, the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), environmental specimen banks, and data centers, as well as scientists from various international research institutions. The statement addresses urgent chemical pollution issues in the polar regions and provides recommendations for improving screening, monitoring, risk assessment, research cooperation, and open data sharing to provide environmental policy makers and chemicals management decision-makers with relevant and reliable contaminant data to better protect the polar environments. The consensus reached at the workshop can be summarized in just two words: "Act now!" Specifically, "Act now!" to reduce the presence and impact of anthropogenic chemical pollution in polar regions by. â¢Establishing participatory co-development frameworks in a permanent multi-disciplinary platform for Arctic-Antarctic collaborations and establishing exchanges between the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) of the Arctic Council and the Antarctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AnMAP) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) to increase the visibility and exchange of contaminant data and to support the development of harmonized monitoring programs. â¢Integrating environmental specimen banking, innovative screening approaches and archiving systems, to provide opportunities for improved assessment of contaminants to protect polar regions.
Asunto(s)
Monitoreo del Ambiente , Contaminantes Ambientales , Regiones Antárticas , Regiones Árticas , Clima Frío , Contaminantes Ambientales/análisis , Contaminación Ambiental/prevención & control , Medición de RiesgoRESUMEN
Elevated mercury concentrations ([Hg]) were found in Alaskan murre (Uria spp.) eggs from the coastal embayment of Norton Sound relative to insular colonies in the northern Bering Sea-Bering Strait region. Stable isotopes of Hg, carbon, and nitrogen were measured in the eggs to investigate the source of this enrichment. Lower δ(13)C values in Norton Sound eggs (-23.3 to -20.0) relative to eggs from more oceanic colonies (-20.9 to -18.7) indicated that a significant terrestrial carbon source was associated with the elevated [Hg] in Norton Sound, implicating the Yukon River and smaller Seward Peninsula watersheds as the likely Hg source. The increasing [Hg] gradient extending inshore was accompanied by strong decreasing gradients of δ(202)Hg and Δ(199)Hg in eggs, indicating lower degrees of mass-dependent (MDF) and mass-independent Hg fractionation (MIF) (respectively) in the Norton Sound food web. Negative or zero MDF and MIF signatures are typical of geological Hg sources, which suggests murres in Norton Sound integrated Hg from a more recent geological origin that has experienced a relatively limited extent of aquatic fractionation relative to more oceanic colonies. The association of low δ(202)Hg and Δ(199)Hg with elevated [Hg] and terrestrial δ(13)C values suggested that Hg stable isotopes in murre eggs effectively differentiated terrestrial/geogenic Hg sources from oceanic reservoirs.
Asunto(s)
Charadriiformes/metabolismo , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Mercurio/análisis , Óvulo/metabolismo , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisis , Animales , Fraccionamiento Químico , Ecosistema , Marcaje Isotópico , Isótopos de Mercurio , Océanos y MaresRESUMEN
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including legacy POPs (PCBs, chlordanes, mirex, DDTs, HCB, and dieldrin) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants were determined in 300 blubber biopsy samples from coastal and near shore/estuarine male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) sampled along the U.S. East and Gulf of Mexico coasts and Bermuda. Samples were from 14 locations including urban and rural estuaries and near a Superfund site (Brunswick, Georgia) contaminated with the PCB formulation Aroclor 1268. All classes of legacy POPs in estuarine stocks varied significantly (p < 0.05) among sampling locations. POP profiles in blubber varied by location with the most characteristic profile observed in bottlenose dolphins sampled near the Brunswick and Sapelo estuaries along the Georgia coast which differed significantly (p < 0.001) from other sites. Here and in Sapelo, PCB congeners from Aroclor 1268 dominated indicating widespread food web contamination by this PCB mixture. PCB 153, which is associated with non-Aroclor 1268 PCB formulations, correlated significantly to human population indicating contamination from a general urban PCB source. Factors influencing regional differences of other POPs were less clear and warrant further study. This work puts into geographical context POP contamination in dolphins to help prioritize efforts examining health effects from POP exposure in bottlenose dolphins.
Asunto(s)
Delfín Mular/metabolismo , Compuestos Orgánicos/metabolismo , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/metabolismo , Tejido Adiposo/metabolismo , Animales , Océano Atlántico , Clordano/metabolismo , DDT/metabolismo , Dieldrín/metabolismo , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Hexaclorobenceno/metabolismo , Mírex/metabolismo , Bifenilos Policlorados/metabolismo , Contaminación Química del Agua/estadística & datos numéricosRESUMEN
The contents from thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) eggs collected at four Alaskan colonies in 2002 were analyzed for organic contaminants and carbon δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹5N) stable isotopes. Contaminant concentrations in the eggs varied from below detection limits to 230 ng g⻹ wet mass for 4,4'-DDE in one egg from St Lazaria Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Eggs from this colony generally contained higher levels of contaminants and exhibited significantly different patterns compared to eggs from the Bering and Chukchi seas. Stable isotope values also varied geographically; however, these differences appeared to be related to differences in C and N baselines in the food webs instead of differences in prey. Contaminant and stable isotope correlations were inconclusive, suggesting that better information on regional food web differences and differential offloading of contaminants and stable isotopes to the eggs must be obtained before these kinds of data can be fully incorporated into seabird egg contaminant monitoring programs.
Asunto(s)
Charadriiformes , Hidrocarburos Clorados/análisis , Óvulo/química , Residuos de Plaguicidas/análisis , Bifenilos Policlorados/análisis , Alaska , Animales , Isótopos de Carbono/análisis , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Geografía , Isótopos de Nitrógeno/análisisRESUMEN
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a diverse collection of control materials derived from marine mammal blubber, fat, and serum. Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1945 Organics in Whale Blubber was recertified for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, organochlorine pesticides, and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners. SRM 1945 has also been assigned mass fraction values for compounds not frequently determined in marine samples including toxaphene congeners, coplanar PCBs, and methoxylated PBDE congeners which are natural products. NIST also has assigned mass fraction values, as a result of interlaboratory comparison exercises, for PCB congeners, organochlorine pesticides, PBDE congeners, and fatty acids in six homogenate materials produced from marine mammal blubber or serum. The materials are available from NIST upon request; however, the supply is very limited for some of the materials. The materials include those obtained from pilot whale blubber (Homogenates III and IV), Blainville's beaked whale blubber (Homogenate VII), polar bear fat (Homogenate VI), and California sea lion serum (Marine Mammal Control Material-1 Serum) and blubber (Homogenate V).
Asunto(s)
Contaminantes Ambientales/análisis , Grasas/análisis , Grasas/normas , Ácidos Grasos/análisis , Hidrocarburos Halogenados/análisis , Animales , Femenino , Masculino , Estándares de Referencia , Leones Marinos , Ursidae , BallenasRESUMEN
The era of COVID-19 has brought about a number of novel challenges for the global biobanking community. To better position the biobanking community to cope with current and future challenges, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) COVID-19 Response Task Force was convened to identify needs and gaps in biobanking tools (existing resources that support good practice), for example, standards, best practices, business, etc. and to make recommendations to benefit the community. Toward these goals, the Task Force assembled a set of questions to explore individual biobanks' experiences, with emphasis on identification of key challenges and approaches, including tools employed. A survey was designed with the use of these questions and administered by ISBER. This article presents a summary of the aggregated data obtained from the survey responses, illustrating some of the major issues encountered and identifying which tools the survey respondents found most useful. In particular, this article focuses on the challenges identified during the early months of the COVID-19 era. Recommendations are provided to support biobank emergency preparedness for the future, address lessons learned, and propose solutions to bridge identified gaps. The analysis and the complete survey dataset will also inform the larger Task Force goal to develop specific tool recommendations.
Asunto(s)
Bancos de Muestras Biológicas , COVID-19 , Pandemias , SARS-CoV-2/metabolismo , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/metabolismo , HumanosRESUMEN
Perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAAs) have been used for 50+ years in materials such as stain-resistant treatments for paper and clothing, lubricants, and foam fire extinguishers. PFAAs are characterized by a fully fluorinated alkyl chain with a terminal acid group. Their long half-lives and ubiquitous environmental distribution create considerable concern for wildlife and human exposure. There is interest in examining temporal trends of PFAAs using the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank (NMMTB), but NMMTB tissues are frozen and cryohomogenized in polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-based materials. Because PTFE supplies may leach PFAAs into samples, this study mimicked collection, processing and storage steps of NMMTB samples and measured PFAA leaching to determine the feasibility of using this sample archive for PFAA temporal trends. We also explored concentrations in Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus, WSDs) and rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis, RTDs) blubber (n=3 and 0) and liver (n=48 and 12, respectively). The materials used in NMMTB protocols may add up to 0.968ng/g perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), 0.090ng/g perfluorononanoic acid (PNFA), and 0.221ng/g perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) to each archived sample. Leaching of PFNA and PFOS from supplies compared to dolphin levels was negligible, but PFOA contributions were substantially higher than levels found in most dolphin liver samples. Therefore, monitoring PFOA temporal trends from the NMMTB would require careful consideration. RTDs had significantly higher levels of PFOS and PFNA than WSDs. Both species have similar life history, trophic status, and foraging behaviors in deep pelagic waters, so differences could be from latitudinal variation in contamination. RTDs stranded in Florida; WSDs stranded farther north mostly in Massachusetts. Juveniles had significantly higher levels of PFOS and PFNA than adults in both species, suggesting growth dilution as they approach maturity. PFOS significantly decreased after 2001 in both species as expected based on changes in production.
RESUMEN
Assessing the trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in cetaceans is difficult because of age and gender influences on accumulation. Persistent organic pollutants bioaccumulate and are poorly metabolized; hence, concentrations may increase with age in males while females reduce their POP burden through parturition and lactation. Age and gender effects on contaminant concentrations are species specific because of life history and reproductive strategies. These influences must be understood in order to elucidate and assess lifetime POP exposure. The objectives of this study were to determine baseline POP concentrations in blubber samples from the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) and to investigate life history and other influences, such as metabolism, on these concentrations. Forty-seven L. acutus blubber samples collected from mass stranding events in Massachusetts, USA (1993-2000), and archived in the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, MD, USA) were analyzed for 55 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners (PCB; 55 congeners), five polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners, and organochlorine pesticides (toxaphene, DDT and metabolites, mirex, dieldrin, chlordanes, hexachlorocyclohexanes, hexachlorobenzene, and endosulfans) by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Ages for 19 animals were determined from growth layer groups on decalcified, stained thin tooth sections. Total PCBs (sigmaPCB; sum of 55 congeners) were the contaminants present in the highest concentrations in all age classes (0.5-63 microg/g wet mass) followed by sum of DDTs (0.50-43 microg/g wet mass), toxaphene (0.055-31 microg/g wet mass), chlordanes (0.30-24 microg/g wet mass), and PBDEs (0.12-4.0 microg/g wet mass). Body length had a greater statistical influence than age on contaminant burdens in L. acutus. Contaminant burdens decreased with length in both male and female L. acutus, suggesting metabolic elimination and/or growth dilution in males and off-loading via lactation in females.
Asunto(s)
Delfines , Contaminantes Ambientales/análisis , Bifenilos Polibrominados/análisis , Bifenilos Policlorados/análisis , Tejido Adiposo/química , Animales , Océano Atlántico , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Contaminantes Ambientales/toxicidad , Femenino , Masculino , Massachusetts , Distribución TisularRESUMEN
Environmental specimen banks (ESBs) are facilities that archive samples from the environment for future research and monitoring purposes. In addition, the long-term preservation of representative specimens is an important complement to environmental research and monitoring. Today, environmental specimen banking is experiencing a renaissance due to an increase in regulatory interest in ESB biota standards and trend data. The International Environmental Specimen Bank Group (IESB) promotes the worldwide development of techniques and strategies of environmental specimen banking and the international cooperation and collaboration among national ESBs. In order to provide a current and comprehensive overview on international environmental specimen banking activities, a questionnaire was sent to the national ESBs and asked for detailed information on the respective ESBs. The results show the rich diversity of national sampling programs, including more detailed information on archived samples, sampling strategies, and studies that have already been performed in the respective countries. All ESBs completing the survey expressed a strong interest in cooperating with other ESBs on a collaborative project. The collected information of national ESBs is intended to be made publicly available.
Asunto(s)
Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Contaminantes Ambientales/química , Internacionalidad , Bancos de Muestras Biológicas , Conservación de los Recursos Naturales , Recolección de Datos , Monitoreo del Ambiente/economía , Humanos , Política Pública , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
Environmental specimen banks (ESBs) have been a fundamental tool for many nations to monitor contaminant temporal and spatial trends, study fate and transport, and assess the severity and risks of pollution. The specimens archived in ESBs are among the longest time-series, most geographically robust, and highest integrity samples available for performing environmental research. Mercury (Hg) remains one of the world's most ubiquitous environmental contaminants, and ESBs have played a prominent role in Hg research. Historically this has involved measuring concentrations of Hg species in various environmental matrices, but the emerging field of Hg stable isotope research provides a new analytical approach that can augment these traditional techniques. Signatures of Hg isotope fractionation have been effectively used for source apportionment and for elucidating Hg biogeochemical cycling. As the research surrounding Hg stable isotopes continues to mature, ESBs can play a useful role in analytical quality control, provide a robust and economical sample archive to expand and diversify the inventory of Hg isotope measurements, and be used to develop and test hypotheses to evaluate whether broadly prevailing paradigms are supported. Samples archived in ESBs are available for request by external collaborators in order to perform high impact research, and should be utilized more effectively to address emerging global environmental concerns.
Asunto(s)
Bancos de Muestras Biológicas , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Isótopos de Mercurio/análisis , Mercurio/análisis , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisis , EcosistemaRESUMEN
Remote locations, such as the Arctic, are often sinks for persistent contaminants which can ultimately bioaccumulate in local wildlife. Assessing temporal contaminant trends in the Arctic is important in understanding whether restrictions on legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have led to concentration declines. Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) tissue samples were collected from two subpopulations (Cook Inlet, Alaska and the eastern Chukchi Sea) between 1989 and 2006. Several POPs (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane and related compounds (DDTs), chlordanes, hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), chlorobenzenes, mirex, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and semi-quantitatively hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs)) were measured in 70 blubber samples, and total mercury (Hg) was measured in 67 liver samples from a similar set of individuals. Legacy POPs (PCBs, chlordanes, DDTs, and HCHs) were the predominant organic compound classes in both subpopulations, with median concentrations of 2360ng/g lipid for Σ80PCBs and 1890 ng/g lipid for Σ6DDTs. Backward stepwise multiple regressions showed that at least one of the four independent variables (subpopulation, sampling year, sex, and animal length) influenced the POP and Hg concentrations. ΣPCBs, ΣDDTs, Σchlordanes, Σchlorobenzenes, mirex, and Hg were significantly higher in belugas from the eastern Chukchi Sea than from the Cook Inlet (p≤0.0001). In contrast, Σ8PBDE and α-HBCD concentrations were significantly lower in belugas from the eastern Chukchi Sea than from the Cook Inlet (p<0.0001). Significant temporal increases in concentrations of Σ8PBDE and α-HBCD were observed for both subpopulations (p≤0.0003), and temporal declines were seen for ΣHCHs and Σchlorobenzenes in eastern Chukchi Sea belugas only (p≤0.0107). All other POP and Hg concentrations were stable, indicating either a lagging response of the Arctic to source reductions or the maintenance of concentrations by unregulated sources. Sex and length also significantly influenced some concentrations, and these findings are discussed.
Asunto(s)
Mercurio/análisis , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisis , Alaska , Animales , Ballena Beluga , Cromatografía Liquida , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas , Espectrometría de Masas en TándemRESUMEN
Mercury concentration ([Hg]), δ(15)N, and δ(13)C values were measured in eggs from common murres (Uria aalge), thick-billed murres (U. lomvia), glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus), and glaucous-winged gulls (L. glaucescens) collected in Alaska from 1999 to 2005. [Hg] was normalized to a common trophic level using egg δ(15)N values and published Hg trophic magnification factors. Egg [Hg] was higher in murres from Gulf of Alaska, Cook Inlet, and Norton Sound regions compared to Bering Sea and Bering Strait regions, independent of trophic level. We believe the Yukon River outflow and terrestrial Hg sources on the southern Seward Peninsula are responsible for the elevated [Hg] in Norton Sound eggs. Normalizing for trophic level generally diminished or eliminated differences in [Hg] among taxa, but temporal variability was unrelated to trophic level. Normalizing murre egg [Hg] by trophic level improves the confidence in regional comparisons of Hg sources and biogeochemical cycling in Alaska.
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Aves , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Contaminantes Ambientales/análisis , Mercurio/análisis , Óvulo/química , Alaska , Animales , Fenómenos Ecológicos y Ambientales , Contaminación Ambiental/estadística & datos numéricos , Cadena AlimentariaRESUMEN
Gull eggs have been used to monitor contaminants in many parts of the world. The Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) is a long-term program designed to track trends in pollutants in northern marine environments using seabird eggs. Glaucous and glaucous-winged gull (Larus hyperboreus and Larus glaucescens) eggs collected in 2005 from seven Alaskan colonies were analyzed for organic contaminants. Concentrations ranged from below detection limits to 322 ng g(-1) wet mass in one egg for 4,4'-DDE and differed among the samples collected in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering and Chukchi Seas. Chick growth and survival rates may be affected by the contaminant levels found in the eggs, but the eggs should be safe for human consumption if they are eaten in small quantities. STAMP plans to continue collecting and banking gull eggs for future real-time and retrospective analyses.