PW02 Wildlife as Ecological Receptors at Hazardous Waste Sites
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Wednesday, 12 November 2003
(PW053) The use of a regionally abundant POP as a population indicator and the predicted dietary exposure in southeastern U.S. bottlenose dolphins.
Pulster, E1, Maruya, K2, Caldwell, Mj1, 1 Savannah State University, Savannah, Georgia, USA2 Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, Georgia, USA
ABSTRACT- To date, there have been little, if any studies on bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) dietary exposure to contaminants. Assessment of dietary exposure is a vital element in the risk assessment process for POPs that biomagnify. A rare PCB mixture, Aroclor 1268, was used extensively at a chlor-alkali Superfund site in Brunswick, (coastal) Georgia. The organochlorine pesticide, toxaphene, was also produced in bulk nearby. Therefore, we will determine PCB and toxaphene concentrations and profiles in forage fish associated with T. truncatus from estuarine waters of Hilton Head (S.C.), Brunswick (GA), and Jacksonville (FL) using GC-ECD and GC-MS. Predicted dietary exposure levels in resident T. truncatus of each estuary will be calculated using measured fish contamination levels and published biomagnification factors. Brunswick fish are expected to have the highest PCB and toxaphene concentrations based on their proximity to sources. Furthermore, we will determine whether the unique, preserved signature of Aroclor 1268 can be used as a population indicator for T. truncatus.
Key words: POP, Tursiops truncatus. , dietary exposure, indicator