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PROJECTS/PROGRAMS

Measurements and Standards for Organic Contaminants in Wildlife Matrices

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Summary

The Biochemical and Exposure Science Group at the Hollings Marine Laboratory tests and optimizes methods to accurately and precisely measure environmental contaminants in wildlife tissue samples.

Description

Photo montage with images of a seagull, alligator, sea turtle, and grey seals.

NIST develops analytical methods and reference materials to support the determination of environmental contaminants in wildlife. 

Credit: AdobeStock

Monitoring contaminant exposure in wildlife is crucial to assess the impact of environmental contaminants on animal health. The development of methods to screen samples for the presence of new compounds (non-targeted research) and to measure the accurate concentration of known, targeted compounds in animal tissues is necessary due to the daunting complexity of chemicals released into the environment. The Biochemical and Exposure Sciences Group (BESG) optimizes and develops these methods, certifies Standard Reference Materials produced from wildlife, and analyzes tissue samples for a broad suite of persistent organic pollutants and chemicals of emerging concern. Recent research has focused on chemical measurements in marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and alligators.

The NIST Biorepository stores samples collected and archived using standardized protocols at liquid nitrogen temperatures. These samples are used for long-term biomonitoring studies and assessments of marine mammal health. NIST determines the levels of legacy and emerging contaminants to understand how concentrations change over time in important marine species such as marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles.

NIST has developed reference materials and sampling protocols to improve data generated on wildlife samples. For example, a fresh frozen material, SRM 1945 Organics in Whale Blubber, has been certified to have reference values for polychlorinated biphenyl congeners, organochlorine pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners, toxaphene congeners, and fatty acids. Such reference materials can be used by laboratories to compare their measurements to data provided by NIST. Moreover, NIST assists other groups in preparing and value-assigning wildlife-related control materials used for in-house quality assurance.

Associated Products

SRM 1577c Bovine Liver

SRM 2974a Mussel Tissue

SRM 1945 Organics in Whale Blubber

ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIons

  1. Hong, S. H., Reiner, J. L., Jang, M., Schuur, S. S., Han, G. M., Kucklick, J. R., and Shim, W. J., "Levels and profiles of perfluorinated alkyl acids in liver tissues of birds with different habitat types and trophic levels from an urbanized coastal region of South Korea," Science of the Total Environment, 806, (2022).
  2. Shaw, K. R., Lynch, J. M., Balazs, G. H., Jones, T. T., Pawloski, J., Rice, M. R., French, A. D., Liu, J., Cobb, G. P., and Klein, D. M., "Trace Element Concentrations in Blood and Scute Tissues from Wild and Captive Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas)," Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 40, 208-218 (2021).
  3. Wood, C., Balazs, G. H., Rice, M., Work, T. M., Jones, T. T., Sterling, E., Summers, T. M., Brooker, J., Kurpita, L., King, C. S., and Lynch, J. M., "Sea turtles across the North Pacific are exposed to perfluoroalkyl substances," Environmental Pollution, 279, (2021).
  4. Dietz, R., Letcher, R. J., Desforges, J. P., Eulaers, I., Sonne, C., Wilson, S., Andersen-Ranberg, E., Basu, N., Barst, B. D., Bustnes, J. O., Bytingsvik, J., Ciesielski, T. M., Drevnick, P. E., Gabrielsen, G., Haarr, A., Hylland, K., Jenssen, B. M., Levin, M., McKinney, M. A., Norregaard, R. D., Pedersen, K. E., Provencher, J., Styrishave, B., Tartu, S., Aars, J., Ackerman, J. T., Rosing-Asvid, A., Barrett, R., Bignert, A., Borns, E. W., Branigan, M., Braune, B., Bryan, C. E., Dam, M., Eagles-Smith, C. A., Evans, M., Evans, T. J., Fisk, A. T., Gamberg, M., Gustavson, K., Hartman, C. A., Helander, B., Herzog, M. P., Hoekstra, P. F., Houde, M., Hoydal, K., Jackson, A. K., Kucklick, J., Lie, E., Loseto, L., Mallory, M. L., Miljeteig, C., Mosbech, A., Muir, D. C. G., Nielsen, S. T., Peacock, E., Pedro, S., Peterson, S. H., Polder, A., Riget, F. F., Roach, P., Saunes, H., Sinding, M. H. S., Skaare, J. U., Sondergaard, J., Stenson, G., Stern, G., Treu, G., Schuur, S. S., and Vikingsson, G., "Current state of knowledge on biological effects from contaminants on arctic wildlife and fish," Science of the Total Environment, 696, (2019).
  5. Kucklick, J.; Boggs, A.; Huncik, K.; Moors, A.; Davis, E.; Ylitalo, G.; McConnell, M.; Makris, C.; Wells, R. S. “Temporal Trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Sarasota Bay Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).” Frontiers in Marine Science 2022, 9, (1) Kucklick, J.; Boggs, A.; Huncik, K.; Moors, A.; Davis, E.; Ylitalo, G.; McConnell, M.; Makris, C.; Wells, R. S. Temporal Trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Sarasota Bay Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, (2022) Original Research. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2022.763918.
  6. Hart, L. B., Beckingham, B., Wells, R. S., Flagg, M. A., Wischusen, K., Moors, A., Kucklick, J., Pisarski, E., and Wirth, E., "Urinary Phthalate Metabolites in Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) From Sarasota Bay, FL, USA," Geohealth,  2, 313-326 (2018).
  7. Bryan, C. E., Bossart, G. D., Christopher, S. J., Davis, W. C., Kilpatrick, L. E., Mcfee, W. E., and O'Brien, T. X., "Selenium protein identification and profiling by mass spectrometry: A tool to assess progression of cardiomyopathy in a whale model," Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 44, 40-49 (2017).
  8. Ackerman, J. T., Eagles-Smith, C. A., Herzog, M. P., Hartman, C. A., Peterson, S. H., Evers, D. C., Jackson, A. K., Elliott, J. E., Vander Pol, S. S., and Bryan, C. E., "Avian mercury exposure and toxicological risk across western North America: a synthesis," Science of the Total Environment, 568, 749-769 (2016).
  9. Christie, I., Reiner, J. L., Bowden, J. A., Botha, H., Cantu, T. M., Govender, D., Guillette, M. P., Lowers, R. H., Luus-Powell, W. J., Pienaar, D., Smit, W. J., and Guillette, L. J., "Perfluorinated alkyl acids in the plasma of South African crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus)," Chemosphere, 154, 72-78 (2016).
  10. Colabuono, F. I., Pol, S. S. V., Huncik, K. M., Taniguchi, S., Petry, M. V., Kucklick, J. R., and Montone, R. C., "Persistent organic pollutants in blood samples of Southern Giant Petrels (Macronectes giganteus) from the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica," Environmental Pollution, 216, 38-45 (2016).
  11. Hansen, A. M., Bryan, C. E., West, K., and Jensen, B. A., "Trace element concentrations in liver of 16 species of cetaceans stranded on Pacific Islands from 1997 through 2013," Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 70, 75-95 (2016).
  12. Jackson, A., Evers, D. C., Eagles-Smith, C. A., Ackerman, J. T., Willacker, J. J., Elliott, J. E., Lepak, J. M., Vander Pol, S. S., and Bryan, C. E., "Mercury risk to avian piscivores across western United States and Canada," Science of the Total Environment, 568, 685-696 (2016).
  13. Nilsen, F. M., Parrott, B. B., Bowden, J. A., Kassim, B. L., Somerville, S. E., Bryan, T. A., Bryan, C. E., Lange, T. R., Delaney, J. P., and Brunell, A. M., "Global DNA methylation loss associated with mercury contamination and aging in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)," Science of the Total Environment, 545, 389-397 (2016).
  14. Reiner, J. L., Becker, P. R., Gribble, M. O., Lynch, J. M., Moors, A. J., Ness, J., Peterson, D., Pugh, R. S., Ragland, T., and Rimmer, C., "Organohalogen contaminants and vitamins in northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) collected during subsistence hunts in Alaska," Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 70, 96-105 (2016).
  15. Vander Pol, S. S., Kucklick, J. R., Lynch, J. M., Pugh, R. S., Ragland, J. M., Reiner, J. L., Trevillian, J., and Schantz, M. M., "Lessons Learned from Monitoring Organic Contaminants in Three Decades of Marine Samples from the Pacific Basin Archived at the USA's Marine Environmental Specimen Bank," Persistent Organic Chemicals in the Environment: Status and Trends in the Pacific Basin Countries Ii: Temporal Trends, 1244, 1-19 (2016).
  16. Bachman, M. J., Foltz, K. M., Lynch, J. M., West, K. L., and Jensen, B. A., "Using cytochrome P4501A1 expression in liver and blubber to understand effects of persistent organic pollutant exposure in stranded Pacific Island cetaceans," Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 34, 1989-1995 (2015).
  17. Schantz, M. M., Pugh, R. S., Vander Pol, S. S., and Wise, S. A., "Long-term stability and temporal trends of organic contaminants in four collections of mussel tissue frozen standard reference materials," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 407, 3253-3258 (2015).
  18. Bachman, M. J., Keller, J. M., West, K. L., and Jensen, B. A., "Persistent organic pollutant concentrations in blubber of 16 species of cetaceans stranded in the Pacific Islands from 1997 through 2011," Science of the Total Environment, 488, 115-123 (2014).
  19. Day, R. D., Becker, P. R., Donard, O. F. X., Pugh, R. S., and Wise, S. A., "Environmental specimen banks as a resource for mercury and mercury isotope research in marine ecosystems," Environmental Science-Processes & Impacts, 16, 10-27 (2014).
  20. Keller, J. M., Balazs, G. H., Nilsen, F., Rice, M., Work, T. M., and Jensen, B. A., "Investigating the potential role of persistent organic pollutants in Hawaiian green sea turtle fibropapillomatosis," Environ. Sci. Technol., 48, 7807-7816 (2014).
  21. Hoguet, J., Keller, J. M., Reiner, J. L., Kucklick, J. R., Bryan, C. E., Moors, A. J., Pugh, R. S., and Becker, P. R., "Spatial and temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants and mercury in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from Alaska," Science of the Total Environment, 449, 285-294 (2013).
  22. Lynch, J. M., "Does 47 Days of Decay Change Persistent Organic Pollutants in Loggerhead Sea Turtle Eggs?," Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 32, 747-756 (2013).
  23. Yordy, J. E., Rossman, S., Ostrom, P. H., Reiner, J. L., Bargnesi, K., Hughes, S., and Elliot, J. D., "Levels of Chlorinated, Brominated, and Perfluorinated Contaminants in Birds of Prey Spanning Multiple Trophic Levels," Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 49, 347-354 (2013).
  24. Bryan, C. E., Davis, W. C., Mcfee, W. E., Neumann, C. A., Schulte, J., Bossart, G. D., and Christopher, S. J., "Influence of mercury and selenium chemistries on the progression of cardiomyopathy in pygmy sperm whales, Kogia breviceps," Chemosphere,  89, 556-562 (2012).
  25. Day, R. D., Roseneau, D. G., Vander Pol, S. S., Hobson, K. A., Donard, O. F. X., Pugh, R. S., Moors, A. J., and Becker, P. R., "Regional, temporal, and species patterns of mercury in Alaskan seabird eggs: Mercury sources and cycling or food web effects?," Environmental Pollution, 166, 226-232 (2012).
  26. Keller, J. M., Ngai, L., McNeill, J. B., Wood, L. D., Stewart, K. R., O'Connell, S. G., and Kucklick, J. R., "Perfluoroalkyl contaminants in plasma of five sea turtle species: Comparisons in concentration and potential health risks," Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 31, 1223-1230 (2012).
  27. Reiner, J. L., O'Connell, S. G., Butt, C. M., Mabury, S. A., Small, J. M., De Silva, A. O., Muir, D. C. G., Delinsky, A. D., Strynar, M. J., Lindstrom, A. B., Reagen, W. K., Malinsky, M., Schafer, S., Kwadijk, C. J. A. F., Schantz, M. M., and Keller, J. M., "Determination of perfluorinated alkyl acid concentrations in biological standard reference materials," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 404, 2683-2692 (2012).
  28. Wilson, R. M., Kucklick, J. R., Balmer, B. C., Wells, R. S., Chanton, J. P., and Nowacek, D. P., "Spatial distribution of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inferred from stable isotopes and priority organic pollutants," Science of the Total Environment, 425, 223-230 (2012).
  29. Ragland, J. M., Arendt, M. D., Kucklick, J. R., and Keller, J. M., "Persistent Organic Pollutants in Blood Plasma of Satellite-Tracked Adult Male Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta Caretta)," Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 30, 1549-1556 (2011).
  30. Stewart, K. R., Keller, J. M., Templeton, R., Kucklick, J. R., and Johnson, C., "Monitoring persistent organic pollutants in leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) confirms maternal transfer," Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62, 1396-1409 (2011).
  31. O'Connell, S. G., Arendt, M., Segars, A., Kimmel, T., Braun-McNeill, J., Avens, L., Schroeder, B., Ngai, L., Kucklick, J. R., and Keller, J. M., "Spatial and Temporal Trends of Perfluorinated Compounds in Juvenile Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) along the East Coast of the United States," Environ. Sci. Technol., 44, 5202-5209 (2010).
  32. Yordy, J. E., Pabst, D. A., McLellan, W. A., Wells, R. S., Rowles, T. K., and Kucklick, J. R., "Tissue-Specific Distribution and Whole-Body Burden Estimates of Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus)," Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 29, 1263-1273 (2010).
  33. Pol, S. S. V., Becker, P. R., Ellisor, M. B., Moors, A. J., Pugh, R. S., and Roseneau, D. G., "Monitoring organic contaminants in eggs of glaucous and glaucous-winged gulls (Larus hyperboreus and Larus glaucescens) from Alaska," Environmental Pollution, 157, 755-762 (2009).
  34. Pugh, R. S., Becker, P. R., Porter, B. J., Ellisor, M. B., Moors, A. J., and Wise, S. A., "Design and applications of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST's) environmental specimen banking programs," Cell Preservation Technology, 6, 59-72 (2008).
  35. Blanvillain, G., Schwenter, J. A., Day, R. D., Point, D., Christopher, S. J., Roumillat, W. A., and Owens, D. W., "Diamondback terrapins, Malaclemys terrapin, as a sentinel species for monitoring mercury pollution of estuarine systems in South Carolina and Georgia, USA," Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 26, 1441-1450 (2007).
  36. Bryan, C. E., Christopher, S. J., Balmer, B. C., and Wells, R. S., "Establishing baseline levels of trace elements in blood and skin of bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida: Implications for non-invasive monitoring," Science of the Total Environment, 388, 325-342 (2007).
  37. Davis, W. C., Christopher, S. J., Pugh, R. S., Donard, O. F. X., Krupp, E. A., Point, D., Horvat, M., Gibicar, D., Kljakovic-Gaspic, Z., Porter, B. J., and Schantz, M. M., "Certification of methylmercury content in two fresh-frozen reference materials: SRM 1947 Lake Michigan fish tissue and SRM 1974b organics in mussel tissue (Mytilus edulis)," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 387, 2335-2341 (2007).
  38. Vander Pol, S. S., Ellisor, M. B., Pugh, R. S., Becker, P. R., Poster, D. L., Schantz, M. M., Leigh, S. D., Wakeford, B. J., Roseneau, D. G., and Simac, K. S., "Development of a murre (Uria spp.) egg control material," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 387, 2357-2363 (2007).
  39. Alava, J. J., Keller, J. M., Kucklick, J. R., Wyneken, J., Crowder, L., and Scott, G. I., "Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) egg yolk concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and lipid increase during the last stage of embryonic development," Science of the Total Environment, 367, 170-181 (2006).
  40. Keller, J. M., McClellan-Green, P. D., Kucklick, J. R., Keil, D. E., and Peden-Adams, M. M., "Effects of organochlorine contaminants on loggerhead sea turtle immunity: Comparison of a correlative field study and in vitro exposure experiments," Environmental Health Perspectives, 114, 70-76 (2006).
  41. Kucklick, J. R., Krahn, M. M., Becker, P. R., Porter, B. J., Schantz, M. M., York, G. S., O'Hara, T. M., and Wise, S. A., "Persistent organic pollutants in Alaskan ringed seal (Phoca hispida) and walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) blubber," Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 8, 848-854 (2006).
  42. Keller, J. M., Kannan, K., Taniyasu, S., Yamashita, N., Day, R. D., Arendt, M. D., Segars, A. L., and Kucklick, J. R., "Perfluorinated compounds in the plasma of loggerhead and Kemp's ridley sea turtles from the southeastern coast of the United States," Environ. Sci. Technol., 39, 9101-9108 (2005).
  43. Tuerk, K. J. S., Kucklick, J. R., Mcfee, W. E., Pugh, R. S., and Becker, P. R., "Factors influencing persistent organic pollutant concentrations in the atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus)," Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 24, 1079-1087 (2005).
  44. Keller, J. M., Kucklick, J. R., Stamper, M. A., Harms, C. A., and McClellan-Green, P. D., "Associations between organochlorine contaminant concentrations and clinical health parameters in loggerhead sea turtles from North Carolina, USA," Environmental Health Perspectives, 112, 1074-1079 (2004).
  45. Keller, J. M., Kucklick, J. R., Harms, C. A., and McClellan-Green, P. D., "Organochlorine contaminants in sea turtles: Correlations between whole blood and fat," Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 23, 726-738 (2004).
  46. Keller, J. M., Kucklick, J. R., and McClellan-Green, P. D., "Organochlorine contaminants in loggerhead sea turtle blood: Extraction techniques and distribution among plasma and red blood cells," Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 46, 254-264 (2004).
  47. Poster, D. L., Schantz, M. M., Kucklick, J. R., De Alda, M. J. L., Porter, B. J., Pugh, R., and Wise, S. A., "Three new mussel tissue standard reference materials (SRMs) for the determination of organic contaminants," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 378, 1213-1231 (2004).
  48. Mackey, E. A., Oflaz, R. D., Epstein, M. S., Buehler, B., Porter, B. J., Rowles, T., Wise, S. A., and Becker, P. R., "Elemental composition of liver and kidney tissues of rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis)," Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 44, 523-532 (2003).
  49. Poster, D. L., Kucklick, J. R., Schantz, M. M., Porter, B. J., Leigh, S. D., and Wise, S. A., "Determination of polychlorinated biphenyl congeners and chlorinated pesticides in a fish tissue standard reference material," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 375, 223-241 (2003).
  50. Christopher, S. J., Vander Pol, S. S., Pugh, R. S., Day, R. D., and Becker, P. R., "Determination of mercury in the eggs of common murres (Uria aalge) for the seabird tissue archival and monitoring project," Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 17, 780-785 (2002). 
Environment and Marine science
Created September 30, 2016, Updated May 8, 2025