title: Organohalogen concentrations in blood and adipose tissue of Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears.
abstract: We analyzed 151 organohalogen chemicals (OHCs) in whole blood and subcutaneous fat of 57 polar bears sampled along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast in spring, 2003. All major organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, PBDEs and their congeners were assessed. Concentrations of most OHCs continue to be lower among Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears than reported for other populations. Additionally, toxaphenes and related compounds were assessed in adipose tissue, and 8 perflourinated compounds (PFCs) were examined in blood. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentrations exceeded those of any other contaminant measured in blood. SigmaChlordane concentrations were higher in females, and both SigmaPCBs and SigmaChlordane concentrations in adipose tissue decreased significantly with age. The rank order of OHC mean concentrations; SigmaPCB>Sigma10PCB>PCB153>SigmaChlordane>Oxychlordane>PCB180>SigmaHCH>beta-HCH>SigmaDDT>p,p-DDE>SigmaPBDE>HCB>Toxaphene was similar for compounds above detection limits in both fat and blood. Although correlation between OHC concentrations in blood and adipose tissue was examined, the predictability of concentrations in one matrix for the other was limited.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA. fstwb@uaf.edu
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Bentzen
authors.forename: D C G
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Muir
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Amstrup
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: O'Hara
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D006846:Hydrocarbons, Halogenated / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D007306:Insecticides / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D001503:Ursidae / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006846:Hydrocarbons, Halogenated; D007306:Insecticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls