Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their hydroxylated and methoxylated analogues in the blood of harbor, Dall's and finless porpoises from the Japanese coastal waters

Mari Ochiai; Kei Nomiyama; Tomohiko Isobe; Tadasu K Yamada; Yuko Tajima; Ayaka Matsuda; Akira Shiozaki; Takashi Matsuishi; Masao Amano; Hisato Iwata; Shinsuke Tanabe

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.11.004

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their hydroxylated and methoxylated analogues in the blood of harbor, Dall's and finless porpoises from the Japanese coastal waters

Mar Environ Res. 2017 Jul:128:124-132. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.11.004. Epub 2016 Nov 5.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Japan.
² Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Japan. Electronic address: keinomi@agr.ehime-u.ac.jp.
³ Center for Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Japan.
⁴ Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science, 4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Japan.
⁵ Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1 Minato-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan.
⁶ Graduate School of Fisheries Science and Environmental Studies, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki, Japan.

PMID: 27836186
DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.11.004

Abstract

This study investigated the accumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their hydroxylated and methoxylated analogues (OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs) in the blood of harbor porpoises, Dall's porpoises, and finless porpoises stranded or bycaught in Japanese coastal waters and in the North Pacific Ocean. Moreover, we suggested the origins of these contaminants and the factors affecting their pattern of accumulation. Levels of PBDEs in Dall's porpoises were one order of magnitude greater than those in the other species. OH-PBDE and MeO-PBDE levels were comparable to those of PBDEs. However, no correlation was found between the levels of OH-PBDEs and PBDEs, whereas a strong correlation was found between that of OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs (p < 0.001). 6OH-BDE47, reported compound biosynthesized by marine low-trophic level organisms, was the dominant congener. These results suggest that PBDEs found in these porpoise species derive from flame retardants, but OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs are mainly of natural origins.

Keywords: Chemical pollution; Coastal waters; Habitat; Hydroxylated-PBDEs; Methoxylated-PBDEs; PBDEs; Porpoise; Sources.

MeSH terms

Animals
Environmental Monitoring*
Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / blood*
Japan
Phocoena / blood*
Water Pollutants, Chemical / blood*

Substances

Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers
Water Pollutants, Chemical