title: Concentration and congener pattern of polychlorinated biphenyls in blubber and liver of Hubbs' beaked whale (Mesoplodon carlhubbsi), using a sulfoxide and an Ag-ION solid phase extraction cartridge as a simplified cleanup technique for biological samples.
abstract: We performed the first known study of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) concentrations and patterns in the blubber and liver of a Hubbs' beaked whale. Samples were pretreated with Supelclean™ sulfoxide and Discovery® Ag-ION solid phase extraction cartridges to remove whale oil. PCB concentrations in the blubber and liver were 13,000 and 7300ng/g lipid, respectively. Highly poisonous congeners such as dioxin-like (DL) PCBs tended to accumulate in the liver. The toxic equivalents (TEQ) of DL-PCBs in the liver (740pg-TEQ/g lipid) were higher than those in the blubber (74pg-TEQ/g lipid). The blubber and liver samples showed that hexachlorinated biphenyls were dominant among homologues, and PCB-153 was dominant among congeners. Several congeners accumulated disproportionately in the blubber and the liver (PCB-28, 52, 74, 99, and 118), while others did not persist (PCB-31, 70, and 110). This indicates that PCBs are metabolized differently according to their specific composition.
authors.affiliation: Hokkaido Research Organization, Environmental and Geological Research Department, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Hokkaido, Japan. Electronic address: anezaki@hro.or.jp.
authors.forename: Katsunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Anezaki
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuishi
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007564:Japan; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012451:Safrole / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction / Q000379:methods*; D014907:Whales / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012834:Silver; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D012451:Safrole; C005746:sulfoxide
keywords: Congener specific analysis; Hubbs' beaked whale (Mesoplodon carlhubbsi); Polychlorinated biphenyls; Pretreatment method