Stockin KA, Peters KJ, Saltré F, Machovsky-Capuska GE, Betty EL, Tremblay LA, Yi S (2025). No place to hide: Marine habitat does not determinate per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in odontocetes. Science of the Total Environment 1007:180701. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180701
Abstract
As meso- and apex predators in food webs, marine mammals can bioconcentrate persistent environmental contaminants like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Although the presence of PFAS is widely reported in the marine environment, there is a lack of
data for cetaceans in Oceania. We investigated whether ecological habitat influences bioconcentration patterns across a range of odontocete (toothed whale, dolphin and porpoise) species. We measured PFAS in liver samples (n = 127) from 16 cetacean species
representing four families inhabiting four marine habitats along the Aotearoa New Zealand coastline. We analysed six perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids, ten perfluoroalkyl sulphonic acids and four precursor compounds in the context of sex, body index, habitat
and species/family using generalized linear mixed models. Results showed that marine habitat remained a weak predictor of PFAS burden. Instead, biological factors including sex and age class best explained the levels of PFAS detected across all species and
habitats. We offer first important insights on PFAS levels across several new taxa globally, including endemic endangered species and poorly described polar vagrants. Our findings further highlight how the ubiquitous nature of PFAS pose a higher risk to odontocetes
across different seascapes than previously anticipated.
Dr Katharina J Peters
Lecturer in Biological Sciences
Marine Vertebrate
Ecology Lab
Environmental Futures, School of Science | Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health |
35.G01D
University of Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia
T +61 2 4239 2058
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