Organohalogen contaminants threaten the survival of indo-pacific humpback dolphin calves in their largest habitat.
J Hazard Mater
; 467: 133720, 2024 Apr 05.
Article
de En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38335606
ABSTRACT
As long-lived apex predators, marine mammal adults often accumulate alarmingly levels of environmental contaminants. Nevertheless, the accumulation and risks of these contaminants in the critical calf stage of marine mammals remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the exposure status and health risks of 74 organohalogen contaminants (OHCs) in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin calves (Sousa chinensis) collected from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), China, during 2005-2019. Our findings revealed moderate levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), medium-high levels of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), and the highest levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and alternative halogenated flame retardants (AHFRs) compared to those reported for cetaceans elsewhere. Traditional OHCs like DDTs, PCBs, and PBDEs did not exhibit significant decreasing trends in the dolphin calves despite global restrictions on these compounds, and AHFRs as emerging OHCs showed an increasing trend over the study period. Risk quotients of DDTs, HCHs, PBDEs, and PCBs in most of the dolphin samples were > 1, indicating that humpback dolphin calves may have suffered long-term threats from OHC exposure. The significant correlation observed between the traditional OHC levels and the stranding death number of the dolphin calves suggests these OHCs may impact the survival of this endangered species.
Mots clés
Texte intégral:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Base de données:
MEDLINE
Sujet principal:
Polychlorobiphényles
/
Dauphins
Type d'étude:
Risk_factors_studies
Limites:
Animals
Langue:
En
Journal:
J Hazard Mater
Sujet du journal:
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
Année:
2024
Type de document:
Article