Endosulfan, Short-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCPs) and Octachlorostyrene in Wildlife from Greenland: Levels, Trends and Methodological Challenges

  • Katrin Vorkamp
  • Frank F. Rigét
  • Rossana Bossi
  • Christian Sonne
  • Rune Dietz
Article
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Abstract

Besides globally banned “legacy” persistent organic pollutants, other compounds might be present in Arctic wildlife, for which regulation was introduced recently (the insecticide endosulfan), is considered (short-chain chlorinated paraffins, SCCPs) or does not exist (octachlorostyrene, OCS, a byproduct of manufacturing and combustion processes involving chlorine). The purpose of this study was to analyze the time trend of endosulfan (1986–2012) in ringed seals and to address the levels of SCCPs and OCS in wildlife species from Greenland (black guillemot, glaucous gull, ringed seal, polar bear), while taking a critical standpoint to analytical methods typically applied. The metabolite endosulfan sulfate was the only endosulfan compound consistently above detection limits, with a median concentration of 0.23 ng/g lipid weight (lw) and a significant annual decrease of −5.6%. The low-resolution mass spectrometry (LRMS) method appeared accurate and sufficiently precise; however, the gel permeation chromatography had to balance lipid removal and analyte loss. SCCPs and OCS were present in all samples. OCS median concentrations were between 2.8 (ringed seal blubber) and 29 (glaucous gull liver) ng/g lw, determined by a straightforward dual column electron capture detection method. SCCPs were analyzed by LRMS, following removal of potential interferences, and had median concentrations of several 100 ng/g wet weight. While the method showed good precision and recovery rates as well as acceptable accuracy in control samples, the Greenland samples had high concentrations in an Arctic context, possibly indicating limited selectivity of the LRMS method.

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Notes

Acknowledgements

The study was funded by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency under the Danish Cooperation for Environment in the Arctic (DANCEA), file numbers MST-112-00126 and MST-112-190. The authors thank Annegrete Ljungqvist, Birgit Groth, and Christel Christoffersen for technical assistance as well as the local hunters for their cooperation and assistance with collecting the samples.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Supplementary material

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Supplementary material 1 (PDF 368 kb)

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  • Katrin Vorkamp
    • 1
  • Frank F. Rigét
    • 2
  • Rossana Bossi
    • 1
  • Christian Sonne
    • 2
  • Rune Dietz
    • 2
  1. 1.Department of Environmental Science, Arctic Research CentreAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
  2. 2.Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research CentreAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark

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