Study finds high levels of toxic pollutants in stranded dolphins and
whales
Researchers examine 83 stranded dolphins and whales in North Carolina and Florida

Date:
August 6, 2020
Source:
Florida Atlantic University
Summary:
Researchers examined toxins in tissue concentrations and pathology
data from 83 stranded dolphins and whales from 2012 to 2018. They
looked at 11 different animal species to test for 17 different
substances. The study is the first to report on concentrations
in blubber tissues of stranded cetaceans of atrazine, DEP, NPE
and triclosan. It also is the first to report concentrations of
toxicants in a white-beaked dolphin and in Gervais' beaked whales.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A study led by researchers at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute examined toxins in tissue concentrations and
pathology data from 83 stranded dolphins and whales along the southeastern coast of the United States from 2012 to 2018. Researchers examined 11
different animal species to test for 17 different substances in animals
found on the shores in North Carolina and Florida.


==========================================================================
This is the first study to date to publish a report examining
concentrations in blubber tissues of stranded cetaceans of atrazine,
an herbicide, DEP, (a phthalate ester found in plastics), NPE or
nonylphenol ethoxylate commonly used in food packing, and triclosan,
an antibacterial and antifungal agent present in some consumer products, including toothpaste, soaps, detergents and toys.

The study also is the first to report concentrations of toxicants in
a white- beaked dolphin and in Gervais' beaked whales, species for
which the scientific literature remains sparse. Documenting toxicants
in cetaceans is a critical step in tracing chemical contaminants within
the marine food web and understanding their effects on biological systems.

For the study, just published in the journal Frontiers in Marine
Science, lead author Annie Page-Karjian, D.V.M., Ph.D., an assistant
research professor and clinical veterinarian at FAU's Harbor Branch,
and collaborators, analyzed blubber samples for five organic toxicants including atrazine, DEP, NPE, bisphenol-A, diethyl phthalates and
triclosan. They also analyzed liver samples for five non-essential
elements (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, thallium), six essential
elements (cobalt, copper, manganese, iron, selenium, zinc) and one
toxicant mixture class (Aroclor, a highly toxic industrial compound).

Results of the study showed that toxin and element concentrations
varied based on animal demographic factors including species, sex, age
and location. Liver samples from bottlenose dolphins had significantly
higher average concentrations of lead, manganese, mercury, selenium,
thallium, and zinc, and lower average concentrations of NPE, arsenic,
cadmium, cobalt, and iron than samples from pygmy sperm whales. In
adult female bottlenose dolphins, average arsenic concentrations were significantly higher and iron concentrations were significantly lower
than in adult males. Adult bottlenose dolphins had significantly higher
average concentrations of lead, mercury, and selenium, and significantly
lower average manganese concentrations compared to juveniles.

Geography also had an impact. Dolphins that stranded in Florida had significantly higher average concentrations of lead, mercury, and
selenium, and lower concentrations of iron than dolphins that stranded
in North Carolina.

Toxicants in the marine environment result from polluted runoff and
chemicals in waterways from fossil fuels as well as single-use plastics commonly used by humans. These plastic objects include packaging film, detergents and some children's toys and contain dangerous phthalates.

"We must do our part to reduce the amount of toxicants that
enter into our marine environment, which have important health and environmental implications not just for marine life but for humans,"
said Page-Karjian. "These chemicals work their way up through the food
chain and get more concentrated the higher up they go. When dolphins and
whales eat fish with concentrations of the chemicals, the toxic elements
enter their bodies. Dolphins eat a variety of fish and shrimp in these
marine environments and so do humans."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Florida_Atlantic_University. Original written by Gisele Galoustian. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Annie Page-Karjian, Catherine F. Lo, Branson Ritchie, Craig
A. Harms,
David S. Rotstein, Sushan Han, Sayed M. Hassan, Andreas F. Lehner,
John P. Buchweitz, Victoria G. Thayer, Jill M. Sullivan, Emily F.

Christiansen, Justin R. Perrault. Anthropogenic Contaminants and
Histopathological Findings in Stranded Cetaceans in the Southeastern
United States, 2012-2018. Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020;
7 DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00630 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200806153617.htm

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