Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are excited to share our new paper entitled "*Organohalogen compounds in a hotspot for chemical pollution: Assessment in free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis)*" recently published in Science of The Total Environment!
Abstract: The assessment of chemical pollution in free-ranging living mammals is viable using remote biopsies and portrays a comprehensive scenario of environmental health. The Southwestern Atlantic Ocean holds incredible biodiversity, but it is under the constant and invisible threat of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) of anthropogenic origin, such as pesticides, brominated flame retardants, and industrial-use compounds (e.g., PCBs). Thus, this study aimed to assess the bioaccumulation of POPs (PCBs, DDTs, HCB, mirex and PBDEs) and natural organobromine compounds (MeO-BDEs) using gas-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in biopsy samples of Atlantic spotted dolphins (*Stenella frontalis*, n = 20) that inhabit and forage both inside and in adjacent areas to degraded (Guanabara Bay) and conserved (Ilha Grande Bay) coastal bays in the Southeastern Brazil. Among the studied compounds, PCBs were predominant in the contamination profile with median concentration of 97.0 μg.g-1 lipid weight (lw), followed by the sum of the p,p’ isomers of DDT, DDD, and DDE of 11.0 μg.g-1 lw, the brominated flame retardants PBDEs of 1.6 μg.g-1 lw, and the other organochlorine pesticides mirex of 0.78 μg.g-1 lw, and HCB of 0.049 μg.g-1 lw. The MeO-BDEs were detected with a median concentration of 22.8 μg.g-1 lw. 85 % of the Atlantic spotted dolphins analyzed in this study presented PCB concentration that exceeded even the less conservative threshold limits for adverse health effects (41 μg.g-1 lw). This study shows that despite the conservation status of preserved bays, cetacean species foraging in these locations are still under increased threat. Hence chemical pollution demands local and global efforts to be mitigated. Link for the paper is here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171912 I'm happy to answer any questions! Kind regards, *MSc. Nara de Oliveira Ferreira* _____________________________________________________________ *Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores (MAQUA -UERJ)* Mestre em Ecologia e Evolução - Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Doutoranda em Biofísica - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Contato: + 55 21 98585.9916
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