Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Detected in Common Loons ( Gavia immer) Wintering off Coastal Louisiana.

The article discusses the detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in common loons wintering off in coastal Louisiana after an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010. Results from an experiment to test loon blood samples show that the concentrations and frequency of the chemical appear to increase among loons annually, but concentrations from petroleum-based petrogenic alkyl polycyclic hydrocarbons were significantly higher than combustion-based pyrogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons.