MP12 Organic, Metallic, Organometallic Pollutants
Monday, 14 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM in Exhibit Hall

(KAN-1117-809619) Accumulation of Chlorinated, Brominated and Perfluorinated Compounds in Polar Bears from Alaska.

Yun, S.¹, Evans, T.², Kannan, K.¹, ¹ Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Empire State Plaza, PO Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-0509, USA² U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska, USA

ABSTRACT- Organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) were measured in the liver of polar bears (n=36) collected from Alaska in the late 1990s. Concentrations of total PCBs in polar bears ranged from 146 to 2820 (mean: 560) ng/g, wet wt. Hexa- and hepta-chlorobiphenyls were the predominant congeners found. Concentrations of PBDEs in polar bear livers ranged from <0.1 to 3.2 (mean: 1) ng/g, wet wt. PBDE47 was the only congener detected in polar bear livers. Among pesticides, oxychlordane was the major compound found in the livers of polar bear from Alaska. Oxychlordane levels ranged from 19 to 2660 (mean: 577) ng/g, wet wt. Concentrations of DDTs, HCHs and HCB were relatively low. Among perfluorinated acids analyzed, PFOS was the major contaminant. Concentrations of PFOS in livers of polar bears ranged from 175 to 700 (mean: 350) ng/g, wet wt. Concentrations of other perfluorinated acids such as PFOA, PFHS and PFOSA were relatively lower than that of PFOS or remained not detected. No age- or gender- related accumulation in perfluorinated compounds was discerned in polar bears. Concentrations of most of the target compounds analyzed in this study were less than those reported for polar bears from Canadian or Norwegian Arctic.

Key words: Polar bears, Alaskan Arctic, PCBs, PBDEs