Dear all, On behalf of all co-authors, I am pleased to inform you on the publication of the paper concerning transplacental transfer of persistent organic pollutants in La Plata dolphins. Barbosa APM, Méndez-Fernandez P, Dias P., Santos MCO, Taniguchi S, Montone RC (2018) Transplacental transfer of persistent organic pollutants in La Plata dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei; Cetartiodactyla, Pontoporiidae). Science of The Total Environment, 631, 239-245. Abstract: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) accumulate in the fat tissue of living organisms and are found in relatively high concentrations in animals at the top of the food chain, such as dolphins. The ability of these compounds to interact with the endocrine system of marine mammals constitutes a risk for the reproduction and conservation of species. The La Plata dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei, is exclusive to the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and is classified on the IUCN red list as a vulnerable species. Blubber, liver, kidney and muscle samples from four P. blainvillei mother-fetus pairs were analyzed to evaluate the transfer of POPs to fetal tissues through the placenta. The presence of POPs in fetal tissues indicates the maternal transfer of compounds. In the pregnant females, blubber was the tissue with POP highest concentration, followed by the liver, kidneys and muscles. In the fetuses, POP accumulation mainly occurred in the blubber followed by the muscles, liver and kidneys. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) were found in all tissues analysed and had the highest concentrations among all compounds. The main PCB congeners in the fetal samples had five to seven chlorine atoms. The only polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) in the fetal samples was 47 and was found only in blubber. The main DDT metabolite in the fetuses was p,p′-DDE. POP transfer via the placenta occurs in the first months of gestation and increases with fetal development, according to fetus/mother (F/M) ratio: HCB N DDT N PCB N PBDE N Mirex, which may follow the order of the octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow) values. The paper is 50 days' free access in the follow link: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1Wk8gB8ccgXcr If you have any problem with the above link, please feel free to contact me (paula.mendez_fernandez@univ-lr.fr<mailto:paula.mendez_fernandez@univ-lr.fr>) or one of the co-authors for a PDF copy. Best wishes, Paula Paula Méndez Fernandez (PhD) Ingénieur de Recherche Observatoire Pelagis UMS 3462 CNRS/Université de La Rochelle France