Bioaccumulation of persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) by gray whale and Pacific walrus from the western part of the Bering Sea.

The feeding habits of a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) and a Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), caught from the western Bering Sea in the summers of 2010 and 2011, have been studied, and concentration of persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in their organs determined. The total OCP concentration (∑HCH+∑DDT) in muscles and liver of the gray whales varies from 297 to 3581 and from 769 to 13,808 ng/g lipids, respectively. The total OCP concentration (∑HCH+∑DDT) in muscles and liver of the Pacific walruses varies from 197 to 5659 and from 4856 to 90,263 ng/g lipids, respectively. The specifics of diet as a source of pesticide accumulation in these two marine mammal species are discussed.

Tsygankov VY ，Boyarova MD ，Lukyanova ON 《-》

Organochlorine pesticide accumulation in seabirds and marine mammals from the Northwest Pacific.

Bioaccumulation of organochlorine pesticides by marine organisms is one of the methods of environmental quality. Concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (HCH isomers (α-, β-, γ-HCH), p,p'-DDT and its metabolites (p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDE)) in samples of seabirds (Northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis, Crested auklet Aethia cristatella, Auklet-crumb Aethia pusilla, Pacific gull Larus schistisagus, and Gray petrel Oceanodroma furcate) and marine mammals (Gray whales Eschrichtius robustus and Pacific walrus Odobenus rosmarus divergens) were measured by a GC-MS. The total concentration of OCPs in mammals was higher than in seabirds. Environmental biomonitoring with the use of seabirds and marine mammals, as a long-lived species, is used for global monitoring, since bioaccumulation in these organisms occurs throughout life. The environmental assessment of the Northwest Pacific marine ecosystems revealed that the levels of OCP contamination in this area are similar to the other subarctic regions of the World Ocean.

Tsygankov VY ，Lukyanova ON ，Boyarova MD 《-》

Bioindicators of Organochlorine Pesticides in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Western Bering Sea.

Tsygankov VY ，Boyarova MD ，Lukyanova ON ，Khristoforova NK ... -  《-》

Concentration, distribution and sources of perfluoroalkyl substances and organochlorine pesticides in surface sediments of the northern Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in surface sediments were investigated from the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean in 2010. Total concentrations (dry weight) of Σ14PFAS in surface sediments (0.85 ± 0.22 ng g-1) of the Bering Sea were lower than that in the Chukchi Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean (1.27 ± 0.53 ng g-1). Perfluoro-butanoic acid (PFBS) and perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA) were the dominant PFAS in these areas. The concentrations of Σ15OCPs in the sediment of the Bering Sea (13.00 ± 6.17 ng g-1) was slightly higher than that in the Chukchi and Arctic Ocean (12.05 ± 2.27 ng g-1). The most abundant OCPs were hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites. The composition patterns of HCHs and DDTs indicated that they were mainly derived from the early residues via river runoff. Increasing trends of PFAS, HCHs and DDTs in surface sediments from the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean were found, indicating oceanic transport. In summary, the concentrations of OCPs were orders of magnitude greater than the observed PFAS concentrations, and the concentrations of PFAS and OCPs in surface sediments from the Bering Sea to the Chukchi Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean are at the low to moderate levels by comparing with other coastal and marine sediments worldwide.

Kahkashan S ，Wang X ，Chen J ，Bai Y ，Ya M ，Wu Y ，Cai Y ，Wang S ，Saleem M ，Aftab J ，Inam A ... -  《-》

Mercury in organs of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) from the Bering Sea.

Trukhin AM ，Simokon MV 《-》