PW05 Degradates in the Environment
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Wednesday
(PW043) Assessment of hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) in plasma of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins.
Houde, Magali1, 2, Bujas, T.2, Balmer, B.3, Pacepavicius, G.2, Wells, R.3, Fair, P.4, Alaee, M.2, Solomon, K.1, Muir, D.1, 2, 1 University of Guelph, Department of Environmental Biology, Guelph, Ontario, Canada2 National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada3 Chicago Zoological Society c/o Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida, United States4 Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, Charleston, South Carolina, United States
ABSTRACT- During the last decade, high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been detected in the blubber of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from U.S. waters. These contaminants can be transformed into more hydrophilic and toxic metabolites such as hydroxylated PCBs (OH-PCBs). Because of structural characteristics, certain OH-PCBs bind with high affinity to plasma proteins; others are known as potential endocrine disrupters in laboratory mammals. OH-PCBs have been detected in wildlife such as fish, seals, polar bears and killer whales. This study aims to assess the concentrations of OH-PCBs in plasma of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins from two eastern American locations (i.e. Charleston, SC and Sarasota Bay, FL). Biological samples of dolphins were collected during capture, marking and release events. A liquid/liquid extraction method was used to separate phenolics from the matrix. Derivatization of chemicals was conducted using diazomethane and samples were cleaned before being analyzed with Gas Chromatography/high-resolution Mass Spectometry. Forty-six standards, containing between 4 and 9 chlorine atoms, were used for identification and quantification of compounds. The pesticide pentachlorophenol (PCP) was also included in the standards. Results showed that a few OH-PCBs, in addition to PCP, were detected in plasma of dolphins. Identification of OH-PCBs, based on standards available, was possible for a limited number of compounds (e.g. 4-OH-PCB107). Additional standards and/or prediction of GC retention time based on structural relationships will be necessary for the identification of unknowns. OH-PCB concentrations in plasma were higher in dolphins from Charleston than Sarasota Bay.
Key words: free-ranging bottlenose dolphins, OH-PCB