Dear Marman collagues,
I trust everyone is doing well. Happy New Year!
I am very pleased to share our new paper on "Emerging Contaminants and New POPs (PFAS and HBCDD) in Endangered Southern Resident and Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales (Orcinus orca): In Utero Maternal Transfer and Pollution Management Implications" led by former OPRU undergraduate student/alumna, Kiah Lee, and I at the Ocean Pollution Research Unit (OPRU), Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF), University of British Columbia, as well as Dr. Stephen Raverty (Animal Health Centre, BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries) in close collaboration and joint effort with Paul Cottrell and Lauren Cotrell (Marine Mammal Response, Fisheries, and Oceans Canada-DFO).
This research was an incredible amount of work and an outstanding milestone by all involved to look at past British Columbia's marine mammal response efforts and killer whale necropsy results for the screening and detection of emerging contaminants of concern (alkylphenols and triclosan) and new Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or "Forever Chemicals" and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), along with the first preliminary assessment of in utero maternal transfer of these contaminants between J32 (Mom) and her calf J32.
A novel finding was the first-ever detection of 7:3-fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (7:3 FTCA) as the primary PFAS (median 66.35 ng/g wet weight) in the tissue samples of southern resident killer whales and Bigg’s killer whales in British Columbia Canada.
The paper was just published in Environmental Science & Technology
Abstract:
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) have been deemed one of the most
contaminated cetacean species in the world. However, concentrations and
potential health implications of selected ‘contaminants of emerging
concern’ (CECs) and new persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in
endangered Southern Resident and threatened Bigg’s (Transient) killer
whales in the Northeastern Pacific (NEP) have not yet been documented.
Here, we quantify CECs [alkylphenols (APs), triclosan, methyl triclosan,
and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)] and new POPs
[hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS] in skeletal
muscle and liver samples of these sentinel species and investigate in utero
transfer of these contaminants. Samples were collected from necropsied
individuals from 2006 to 2018 and analyzed by LC–MS/MS or HRBC/HRMS. AP
and PFAS contaminants were the most prevalent compounds; 4-nonylphenol
(4NP) was the predominant AP (median 40.84 ng/g ww), and interestingly,
7:3-fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (7:3 FTCA) was the primary PFAS
(median 66.35 ng/g ww). Maternal transfer ratios indicated 4NP as the
most transferred contaminant from the dam to the fetus, with maternal
transfer rates as high as 95.1%. Although too few killer whales have
been screened for CECs and new POPs to infer the magnitude of
contamination impact, these results raise concerns regarding
pathological implications and potential impacts on fetal development and
production of a viable neonate. This study outlines CEC and new POP
concentrations in killer whales of the NEP and provides scientifically
derived evidence to support and inform regulation to mitigate pollutant
sources and contamination of Southern Resident killer whale critical
habitat and other marine ecosystems.
Lee, K., Alava, J.J., Cottrell, P., Cottrell, L., Grace, R., Zysk, I., Raverty, S. (2023). Emerging Contaminants and New POPs (PFAS and HBCDD) in Endangered Southern Resident and Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales (Orcinus orca): In Utero Maternal Transfer and Pollution Management Implications. Environmental Science & Technology
2023
57
(1),
360-374
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c04126
Best wishes,
Juan Jose
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Juan Jose Alava, Ph.D. (he/el/him/his)
Honorary Research Associate
Principal Investigator, Ocean Pollution Research Unit (OPRU)
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries,
The University of British Columbia
AERL 2202 Main Mall | Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
OPRU: https://oceanpollution.oceans.ubc.ca
http://oceans.ubc.ca/juan-jose-alava/
https://twitter.com/UBC_OPRU
I acknowledge being grateful and humble located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Honorary Research Associate
Principal Investigator, Ocean Pollution Research Unit (OPRU)
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries,
The University of British Columbia
AERL 2202 Main Mall | Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
OPRU: https://oceanpollution.oceans.ubc.ca
http://oceans.ubc.ca/juan-jose-alava/
https://twitter.com/UBC_OPRU
https://www.facebook.com/ubcoceanpollution
E-mail: j.alava@oceans.ubc.ca
I acknowledge being grateful and humble located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.