Levels and trends of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins from the Pearl River Estuary (2012-2017)

Duan Gui; Lingli Zhang; Fengping Zhan; Wen Liu; Xinjian Yu; Laiguo Chen; Yuping Wu

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.04.058

Levels and trends of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins from the Pearl River Estuary (2012-2017)

Mar Pollut Bull. 2018 Jun;131(Pt A):693-700. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.04.058. Epub 2018 May 8.

Authors

Duan Gui¹, Lingli Zhang¹, Fengping Zhan¹, Wen Liu¹, Xinjian Yu¹, Laiguo Chen², Yuping Wu³

Affiliations

¹ Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China.
² Urban Environment and Ecology Research Center, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences (SCIES), Ministry of Environmental Protection, Guangzhou 510655, China.
³ Zhuhai Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China. Electronic address: exwyp@mail.sysu.edu.cn.

PMID: 29886996
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.04.058

Abstract

We investigated the levels and trends of the 16 USEPA priority PAHs in the blubber of 37 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins sampled during the period 2012-2017 from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), China. Σ₁₆PAHs concentrations (17.6-6080 ng g^-1 wet weight) were at median level compared to dolphin species worldwide. Humpback dolphins affiliated with the hotspots of PAHs, had significantly higher levels of Σ₁₆PAHs than individuals from the other areas in the PRE. Moreover, dolphins stranded on the coast of Lingdingyang are significantly more contaminated by Σ₁₆PAHs than those in the West-four region of the PRE, which appears to reflect the heterogeneous distribution of PAHs in the environment. A marked decline in blubber Σ₁₆PAHs levels is observed over the studied period, with the control of a range of confounding factors. The trend is strongly and statistically significant (p < 0.0001), indicating that the loading of PAHs are gradually being reduced.

Keywords: Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis); Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Spatiotemporal trends.

MeSH terms

Adipose Tissue / chemistry
Animals
China
Dolphins*
Ecotoxicology / methods
Estuaries
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / analysis*
Rivers
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*

Substances

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical