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Concentrations and chromatographic profile of DDT metabolites and polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) residues in stranded beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada

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Abstract

The concentrations and high resolution gas Chromatographic profiles of DDT metabolites and polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) congeners were determined in blubber, liver, kidney and lung tissue and milk samples of stranded beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) collected at localities along the coasts of the Saint Lawrence Estuary, Canada from November 1983 through December 1984. The analyses indicate that the major PCB components of the tissues were 2,2′,5,5′-tétra-, 2,2′,4,4′,5-penta-, 2,2′,3,4,4′,5′-hexa-, 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexa-, 2, 2′,3,3′,4,5-hexa-, 2,3,3′,5,5′,6-hexa-, 2,2′,3,4, 5,5′,6-hepta- and 2,2′,3,4,4′,5,5′-heptachlorobiphenyls. Although the highest organochlorine chemical concentrations were found primarily in the blubber, concentrations of 1.72 Μg/g for PCB and 2.04 Μg/g for ⌆DDT were determined in one milk sample. No correlation was established between PCB,p,p-DDE and ⌆DDT concentrations and the fat content of the kidney liver and lung tissues. The Chromatographie patterns of the PCB congeners were similar from one tissue to another with the exception of the kidney; the profile indicates the retention of PCB congeners which are minor components in the other tissues. Relations of residue concentrations between tissue are described and the significance of congener-specific PCB analysis is discussed in terms of the structureactivity effects on PCB persistence and toxicity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS-Santé), Université du Québec, 7401 rue Hochelaga, HIN3M5, Montréal

    Robert Massé & Lyne Tremblay

  2. Départment de pathologie et microbiologie Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, J2S 7C6, Ste-Hyacinthe

    Daniel Martineau

  3. Centre de Recherche en Ecologie des PÊches, PÊches et Océans Canada, G5L 3A1, Rimouski, Canada

    Pierre Béland

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  1. Robert Massé
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  2. Daniel Martineau
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  3. Lyne Tremblay
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  4. Pierre Béland
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Portions of this work were presented at the Sixth Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Vancouver, British Columbia, November 22–26, 1985.

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Massé, R., Martineau, D., Tremblay, L. et al. Concentrations and chromatographic profile of DDT metabolites and polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) residues in stranded beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 15, 567–579 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01056571

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01056571

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