TP9 Ecotoxicology of Reptiles
Tuesday, 15 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM in Exhibit Hall
(CAR-1117-816024) Correlations between plasma polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations and health parameters in loggerhead sea turtles.
Carlson, B1, Aleska, K2, Kucklick, J2, Arendt, M3, Segars, A3, Peden-Adams, M4, Keller, J2, 1 College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, USA2 National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, USA3 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Charleston, SC, USA4 Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
ABSTRACT- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are chemicals used as flame retardants in textiles and electronics. They are not covalently bound to these substrates so they can leach into the environment. PBDEs have been quantified in humans and many marine wildlife species, but never in sea turtles. Additionally, the health effects of PBDEs in the threatened loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, are unknown. In 2003, this study sampled 29 juvenile loggerhead turtles captured within 8 miles of the coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and northeastern Florida. Plasma samples were extracted using liquid:liquid extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry to quantify 12 PBDEs, 83 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, and 20 pesticides. Health parameters such as plasma chemistry values, white blood cell counts, hematocrit, body condition, and immune functions, were also measured. The average total predominant PBDE (
PBDE = sum of PBDE 47, 99, 100, 153, and 154) concentration was 109 ± 147 pg/g wet-mass basis (68.2± 75.1 ng/g lipid normalized basis). Spearman correlations were used to compare wet mass PBDE concentrations with health parameters, and no significant correlations were observed. However, lipid normalized concentrations were significantly correlated with several health indicators, but most of these indicators were also correlated with lipid content. This suggests that these correlations may be an artifact of the interrelated nature of these variables. Total predominant PCB (PCB = sum of PCB99, 118, 138, 153+132, 170, 180+193, 187, 196+203, 199) wet-mass concentrations were significantly negatively correlated with plasma lysozyme activity and positively correlated with urea nitrogen. These correlations corroborate a previous correlative study using sea turtles from North Carolina. Principle component analysis will be used to further assess which contaminant classes (PCBs, pesticides, perfluorinated compounds, and /or PBDEs) are responsible for the most variability in certain health parameters.
Key words: PBDE, Health, Sea turtle, Reptile