A large diversity of organohalogen contaminants reach the meso- and bathypelagic organisms in the Bay of Biscay (northeast Atlantic)

Blood Kinetics of Lipophilic and Proteinophilic Pollutants during Two Types of Long-Term Fast in King Penguins

In vertebrates, fasting is an intricate physiological process associated with strong metabolic changes, yet its effect on pollutant residue variation is poorly understood. Here, we quantified long-term changes in plasma concentrations of 20 organochlorine and 16 perfluoroalkyl pollutants in king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus during the breeding and molting fasts, which are marked by low and high levels of protein catabolism, respectively, and by strong lipid use. The profile of measured pollutants in plasma was dominated by perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS, initial relative contribution of 60%). Initial total pollutant concentrations were similar in molting (3.3-5.7 ng g-1 ww) and breeding penguins (range of 4.2-7.3 ng g-1 wet weight, ww). Long-term fasting (25 days) for molting and breeding led, respectively, to a 1.8- and 2.2-fold increase in total plasma pollutant concentrations, although the rate and direction of change were compound-specific. Hexachlorbenzene (HCB) and PFOS concentrations increased in plasma (net mobilization) during both types of fasting, likely due to lipid use. Plasma perfluoroundecanoate (PFUnDA) and perfluorotridecanoate (PFTrDA) concentrations increased in breeders (net mobilization) but decreased in molting individuals (net excretion), suggesting a significant incorporation of these pollutants into feathers. This study is a key contribution to our understanding of pollutant variation in blood during long-term fasting in wildlife.

Review of scientific literature on available methods of assessing organochlorine pesticides in the environment

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) widely used in agriculture and industry, causing serious health and ecological consequences upon exposure. This review offers a thorough overview of OCPs analysis emphasizing the necessity of ongoing work to enhance the identification and monitoring of these POPs in environmental and human samples. The benefits and drawbacks of the various OCPs analysis techniques including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD), and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) are discussed. Challenges associated with validation and optimization criteria, including accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantitation (LOQ), must be met for a method to be regarded as accurate and reliable. Suitable quality control measures, such as method blanks and procedural blanks, are emphasized. The LOD and LOQ are critical quality control measure for efficient quantification of these compounds, and researchers have explored various techniques for their calculation. Matrix interference, solubility, volatility, and partition coefficient influence OCPs occurrences and are discussed in this review. Validation experiments, as stated by European Commission in document SANTE/11813/2017, showed that the acceptance criteria for method validation of OCP analytes include ≤20 % for high precision, and 70-120 % for recovery. This may ultimately be vital for determining the human health risk effects of exposure to OCP and for formulating sensible environmental and public health regulations.

The unheeded inherent connections and overlap between microplastics and poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances: A comprehensive review

Microplastics (MPs) and poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are receiving global attention due to their widespread presences and considerable level in the environment. Although the occurrence and fate of MPs and PFASs alone have been extensively studied, little was known about their unheeded connection and overlap between the two. Therefore, this review attempts to reveal it for the purpose of providing a new view from joint consideration of the two in the future studies. Initially, the critically examined data on the co-sources and existence of MPs and PFASs are summarized. Surprisingly, some products could be co-source of MPs and PFASs which are general in daily life while the distribution of the two is primary influenced by the human activity. Then, their interactions are reviewed based on the fact that PFASs can be sorbed onto MPs which are regarded as a vector of contaminations. The electrostatic interaction and hydrophobic contact are the predominant sorption mechanisms and could be influenced by environmental factors and properties of MPs and PFASs. The effects of MPs on the transport of PFASs in the environments, especially in aquatic environments are then discussed. Additionally, the current state of knowledge on the combined toxicity of MPs and PFASs are presented. Finally, the existing problems and future perspectives are outlined at the end of the review. This review provides an advanced understanding of the overlap, interaction and toxic effects of MPs and PFASs co-existing in the environment.

Prevalence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in marine seafood from the Gulf of Guinea

PFASs are ubiquitous in the global environment due to their wide use, persistence and bioaccumulation, and are of concern for human health. This study investigated the levels of PFASs in seafood with a view to provide knowledge on the occurrence of PFASs in marine resources and to evaluate seafood safety and human health risk via dietary exposure to coastal communities in the Gulf of Guinea, where there is currently very little data. The sum of targeted PFASs was between 91 and 1510 pg g^-l ww (mean 465 ± 313 pg g^-l ww), with PFOS and long-chain PFCAs prevailing. The concentrations of PFASs in the three species of croakers were species- and location-dependent, with habitat and anthropogenic pressure as likely drivers of the differences. Significantly higher contamination levels were found in male croakers. The trophic transfer and biomagnification of PFASs from shrimps to croakers was evidenced for PFOS and long-chain PFCAs (with a significant increase of contaminants from the prey to the predator). The calculated estimated daily intakes (EDIs) and hazard ratio (HR) for PFOS in croakers (whole fish and muscles) and shrimp were lower than the European Food and Safety Agency's recommended level for PFOS (1.8 ng kg^-1 day^-1) and below the HR safety threshold value of 1. From the results, based on present safety limits, PFOS levels in croakers and shrimps from the Gulf of Guinea do not pose immediate health risks to the human population. This study provides the first insight regarding the distribution of PFASs in seafood from the tropical NE Atlantic region of the Gulf of Guinea and highlights the need for further monitoring across the Gulf.

First insight into accumulation of characteristics and tissue distribution of PCBs, PBDEs, and other BFRs in the living Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis)

Persistent organic pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and other brominated flame retardants, were detected in the liver, muscle, and ovary tissues of the Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis) incidentally caught around Gangga Island, North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, on November 5, 2014. Concentrations of total PCBs (209 congeners, 300-2600 ng g^-1 lipid weight) in all tissues showed higher than those of PBDEs (41 congeners, 3.9-6.3 ng g^-1 lw) and BTBPE (1.1-3.6 ng g^-1 lw). The tissue-specific PCB and PBDE profiles were likely due to differences in the lipid composition. Toxic equivalent (TEQ) values of dioxin-like PCBs in coelacanth tissues were lower than the benchmark values for early-life fish. However, compared with the data reported for deep-sea fishes in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the relatively high concentrations of PCBs detected in this study raise concerns regarding Indonesian coelacanth conservation and habitat conditions.

Fatty Acid Spectra in Mesopelagic Fishes of the Myctophidae and Stomiidae Families Collected in the North East Atlantic

New data on the fatty acid compositions of the muscle tissues of the two most widespread families of the mesopelagic zone—the Myctophidae (Notoscopelus kroyeri and Symbolophorus veranyi) and Stomiidae (Chauliodus sloani, Stomias boa, Borostomias antarcticus, and Malacosteus niger) families—were obtained from the Irminger Sea (North East Atlantic). The fatty acids (FAs) in the total lipids (TLs), phospholipids (PLs), triacylglycerols (TAGs), and cholesterol esters and waxes were analyzed using gas–liquid chromatography with a mass-selective detector and flame-ionized detector (GC-MS and GC-FID, respectively). Species-specific differences in the FA/alcohol profiles of the studied fishes were revealed. A directed deep-vise trend in the changes in the content and performance of certain FAs for the studied species was found. Along with this, a general character of dominance for monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which were discussed as food tracers, was revealed. MUFAs in the muscle tissues included dietary markers of zooplankton (copepods)—20:1(n-9) and 22:1(n-11), the content of which varied in association with the species—such that the biomarker Calanus glacialis predominated in muscles of B. antarcticus and C. hyperboreus prevailed in other studied species. Different strategies of compensatory adaptation to depth gradient in lipid metabolism among the studied species were discussed.