title: Global assessment of cadmium concentrations in the skin of free-ranging sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus).
abstract: Cadmium is a non-essential, toxic metal found accumulated in the organs of stranded cetaceans. Currently, there is no baseline cadmium concentration reported in a free-ranging, pelagic cetacean. The aim was to determine cadmium concentrations in the skin of free-ranging sperm whales (n=340) collected from 16 regions around the world during the voyage of the Odyssey (2000-2005) considering region, gender, and age in males. Cadmium was detected in 81% of skin biopsies with a mean of 0.3±0.04μg/g ww (0.02 to 12.4μg/g ww). These concentrations were higher than reported in literature in toothed whale skin (0.002-0.1μg/g ww). Concentrations by region were significantly different (p<0.0001) with the highest mean in Maldives and the Sea of Cortez (0.8 and 0.6μg/g ww, respectively). There was no significant difference in cadmium concentration by gender (p=0.42). Cadmium is known to have a long biological half-life, and cadmium concentrations in males were significantly higher in adults with a mean of 0.3μg/g ww compared to subadults with 0.2μg/g ww (p=0.03). Selenium, an element that binds to cadmium inhibiting its toxicity, had a moderately positive correlation with cadmium (r=0.41). Mercury, a toxic metal that positively correlates with cadmium in cetacean tissue, had a weakly positive relationship (r=0.20). The regional baselines reported in this study may be used to develop residue criteria for prediction of toxicological risk in sperm whale skin. Additionally, this study shows the extent of cadmium exposure in a pelagic cetacean that has global distribution.
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Prescott Street, Louisville, KY 40292, USA; Wise Laboratory Field Research Program, 1320 19th Street, NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20036, USA.
authors.forename: Laura C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Savery
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Prescott Street, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
authors.forename: Tânia Li
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Prescott Street, Louisville, KY 40292, USA; Wise Laboratory Field Research Program, 1320 19th Street, NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20036, USA.
authors.forename: James T F
authors.initials: JTF
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Prescott Street, Louisville, KY 40292, USA; Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, University of Southern Maine, Science Building, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Wise Laboratory Field Research Program, 1320 19th Street, NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20036, USA; Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of Southern Maine, Science Building, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Department of Applied Medical Science, University of Southern Maine, Science Building, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103, USA.
authors.forename: Sandra S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Prescott Street, Louisville, KY 40292, USA; Wise Laboratory Field Research Program, 1320 19th Street, NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20036, USA.
authors.forename: Christy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gianios
authors.affiliation: Exponent, Inc., 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Buonagurio
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, 3107 Horsebarn Hill Road, U-4210, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Prescott Street, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
authors.forename: Carolyne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Falank
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Public Health, P.O. Box 208034, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Tongzhang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Public Health, P.O. Box 208034, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Cairong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Prescott Street, Louisville, KY 40292, USA; Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, University of Southern Maine, Science Building, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Wise Laboratory Field Research Program, 1320 19th Street, NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20036, USA; Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of Southern Maine, Science Building, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Department of Applied Medical Science, University of Southern Maine, Science Building, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103, USA. Electronic address: John.Wise@louisville.edu.
authors.forename: John Pierce
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wise
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D000075322:Heavy Metal Poisoning; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000378:metabolism; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism; D011041:Poisoning / Q000378:metabolism; D012643:Selenium / Q000378:metabolism; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*; D050661:Sperm Whale / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002104:Cadmium; D008628:Mercury; D012643:Selenium
keywords: Cadmium; Cetacean; Ecotoxicology; Indicator species; Marine pollution; Metal; Skin; Sperm whale