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COPLANAR PCB AND METAL RESIDUES IN DOLPHINS FROM THE U.S. ATLANTIC COAST INCLUDING THE BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN OBTAINED DURING THE 1987/88 MASS MORTALITY
Citation:
Kuehl, D., R. Haebler, AND C. Potter. COPLANAR PCB AND METAL RESIDUES IN DOLPHINS FROM THE U.S. ATLANTIC COAST INCLUDING THE BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN OBTAINED DURING THE 1987/88 MASS MORTALITY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-94/244 (NTIS PB94177748), 1994.
Description:
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) collected during the 1987/88 mass mortality event along the Atlantic coast of the United States have been analyzed for coplanar PCBs #77, 105, 126 and 169 in blubber, and for the metals Hg, Pb, Cd, Mn, and Cr, and the non-metallic element Se in liver. esults have been compared to two reference species, common (Delphinus delphis) and white-sided Lagenorhynchus acutus) dolphins. he three most toxic PCB congeners (#77, 126 and 169) contributed less than 1% of the total TCDD toxic equivalent concentration (TEC) calculated for all di-, mono- and non-ortho chlorine substituted PCBs in adult male animals. he total TEC for the four PCBs was approximately 4.5 times lower in adult female bottlenose than in male. he mean concentrations of Pb, Cd, Mn and Cr in adult male bottlenose dolphins were at or below the mean concentrations in the two reference species. ne mean concentration of mercury was highest in adult female bottlenose dolphins. owever, mercury concentrations in all animals studied correlated with selenium concentrations (r=0.86) at a 1:1 mole ratio, indicating that selenium may protect these animals from mercury toxicity.