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Perfluoroalkyl Contaminants in Plasma of Five Sea Turtle Species: Comparisons in Concentration and Potential Health Risks

Published

Author(s)

Jennifer M. Lynch, Lily Ngai, Joanne Braun-McNeill, Larry Wood, Kelly Stewart, Steven O'Connell, John R. Kucklick

Abstract

We compared the plasma concentration of 13 perfluorinated contaminants (PFCs) in five sea turtle species. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was predominant in most species, except hawksbills had higher concentrations of perfluorononanoate. Excluding spongivorous hawksbills (11.9 ng/g), respective mean PFOS concentrations (2.41, 3.95, 6.47, and 15.7 ng/g) related to understood trophic level of herbivorous greens, jellyfish-eating leatherbacks, and omnivorous loggerheads and Kemp’s ridleys, indicating that PFCs biomagnify in marine food webs.
Citation
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Volume
31

Keywords

persistent organic pollutants, sea turtles, reptiles, perfluorinated contaminants

Citation

Lynch, J. , Ngai, L. , Braun-McNeill, J. , Wood, L. , Stewart, K. , O'Connell, S. and Kucklick, J. (2012), Perfluoroalkyl Contaminants in Plasma of Five Sea Turtle Species: Comparisons in Concentration and Potential Health Risks, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, [online], https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.1818 (Accessed March 29, 2024)
Created May 23, 2012, Updated January 27, 2020