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Comparative review of the distribution and burden of contaminants in the body of polar bears

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Abstract

Historical (or legacy) contaminants, such as metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs; e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls) have been measured in circumpolar subpopulations of polar bears, especially from Hudson Bay, East Greenland, and Svalbard, but substantially less is currently known about new and/or emerging contaminants such as polychlorinated naphthalenes, current-use pesticides, organotins, and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is an apex Arctic predator that accumulates high levels of bioaccumulative POPs and mercury (Hg), but there is currently no comprehensive profiling of the present knowledge on contaminants in tissue and body compartments in polar bears. Based on current literature reports and data, and including archived museum samples (as far back as the 1300s) and up to 2018, the aim of this review is to utilize available data to examine the comparative distribution and burden of mainly lipophilic contaminants in kidney, liver, fat, and other body compartments, such as milk, blood, and brain. Highlight outcomes from this review include the following: (1) the kidneys are one of the most important tissue depots of contaminants in polar bears; (2) there is a critical lack of data concerning the presence of metals of concern (other than Hg); and (3) there currently are no data available on the concentrations of many newer and emerging contaminants, such as PACs, which is especially relevant given the increasing oil and gas development in regions, such as the Beaufort Sea (Canada). Additionally, given the vulnerability of polar bear populations worldwide, there is a need to develop non-invasive approaches to monitor contaminant exposure in polar bears.

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Funding

This work was funded by the Government of Canada through Genome Canada and the Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI-123) and by the Canada Research Chair program to VSL(#950-232235).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), Québec City, QC, Canada

    Mélanie Dominique & Valerie S. Langlois

  2. Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Wildlife and Landscape Science Directorate, Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Robert J. Letcher & Valerie S. Langlois

  3. School of Environmental Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Allison Rutter

  4. Ecotoxicogenomics and Endocrine Disruption, Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), 490, rue de la Couronne, Québec, QC, G1K 9A9, Canada

    Valerie S. Langlois

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  1. Mélanie Dominique
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Dominique, M., Letcher, R.J., Rutter, A. et al. Comparative review of the distribution and burden of contaminants in the body of polar bears. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 32456–32466 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09193-2

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