1. Pre-oil spill baseline profiling for contaminants in Southern Resident killer whale fecal samples indicates possible exposure to vessel exhaust.
- Author
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Lundin JI, Ylitalo GM, Giles DA, Seely EA, Anulacion BF, Boyd DT, Hempelmann JA, Parsons KM, Booth RK, and Wasser SK
- Subjects
- Animals, Ecotoxicology methods, Endangered Species, Environmental Exposure analysis, Environmental Monitoring methods, Female, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry methods, Male, Pacific Ocean, Petroleum Pollution, Ships, Vehicle Emissions, Washington, Feces chemistry, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons analysis, Water Pollutants, Chemical analysis, Whale, Killer
- Abstract
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.)
- Published
- 2018
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