title: Perfluoroalkyl substances detected in the world's southernmost marine mammal, the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii).
abstract: This study investigates concentrations of 18 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in blood plasma of adult lactating Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) (n = 10) from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) was detected in all samples at concentrations ranging from 0.08 to 0.23 ng/ml. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexanoate (PFHxA) and perfluorotridecanoate (PFTriDA) were sporadically detected, while the remaining compounds were below the limit of detection. This is the first report of detectible concentrations of PFASs in an endemic Antarctic marine mammal species. We suggest that the pollutants have been subjected to long range atmospheric transportation and/or derive from a local source. A review of these and published data indicate that perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) dominate in biotic PFAS patterns in species feeding south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), whereas PFOS was the major PFAS detected in species feeding predominantly north of the current.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address: heli.routti@npolar.no.
authors.forename: Heli
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Routti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Research, PO Box 1870 Nordnes, 5817 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Bjørn A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Krafft
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Dorte
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Herzke
authors.affiliation: Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eisert
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA.
authors.forename: Olav
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Oftedal
mesh_terms: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D002591:Cetacea; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid
keywords: Local pollution; Long-range transport; McMurdo; Perfluoroalkyl substances; Weddell seal