Specimen banking of marine organisms in the United States: current status and long-term prospective

Environmental specimen banks as a resource for mercury and mercury isotope research in marine ecosystems

Environmental specimen banks (ESBs) have been a fundamental tool for many nations to monitor contaminant temporal and spatial trends, study fate and transport, and assess the severity and risks of pollution. The specimens archived in ESBs are among the longest time-series, most geographically robust, and highest integrity samples available for performing environmental research. Mercury (Hg) remains one of the world's most ubiquitous environmental contaminants, and ESBs have played a prominent role in Hg research. Historically this has involved measuring concentrations of Hg species in various environmental matrices, but the emerging field of Hg stable isotope research provides a new analytical approach that can augment these traditional techniques. Signatures of Hg isotope fractionation have been effectively used for source apportionment and for elucidating Hg biogeochemical cycling. As the research surrounding Hg stable isotopes continues to mature, ESBs can play a useful role in analytical quality control, provide a robust and economical sample archive to expand and diversify the inventory of Hg isotope measurements, and be used to develop and test hypotheses to evaluate whether broadly prevailing paradigms are supported. Samples archived in ESBs are available for request by external collaborators in order to perform high impact research, and should be utilized more effectively to address emerging global environmental concerns.

Annual, seasonal and individual variation in hematology and clinical blood chemistry profiles in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Sarasota Bay, Florida

Hematology and clinical blood chemistry (HCBC) profiles in free-living bottlenose dolphins from Sarasota Bay, Florida have been monitored over a 14-year period. This long-term dataset includes samples from recaptured dolphins, enabling individual variation to be accounted for when investigating seasonal and annual variability. Four different laboratories carried out the assays and inter-laboratory comparisons found significant differences in 31 of 39 parameters measured. However, variability in comparable HCBCs by sex, age, condition, season and year could be investigated. Significant relationships with the independent variables were found for the majority of the HCBCs. Notable consistent seasonal differences included significantly elevated glucose and significantly lower creatinine concentrations in winter compared to summer. These differences may be due to energetic or thermoregulatory fluctuations in the animals by season and do not necessarily have any clinical significance. Erythrocyte counts were significantly lower in the winter, possibly also due to nutritional differences. Albumin and calcium levels in this population have increased significantly over the years of monitoring and consistently across seasons, being higher in the winter than the summer. Again, nutritional and thermal constraints seem to be the most likely environmental factors influencing these patterns.

Organochlorine compounds and aliphatic hydrocarbons in Pacific walrus blubber

Blubber samples were collected from 8 male and 19 female Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) taken during a 1991 joint USA/USSR cruise traveling widely through the Bering Sea. Dieldrin was found at a level similar to that reported 10 years earlier; oxychlordane was found at a slightly higher concentration than reported previously (Taylor et aL, 1989). Heptachlor epoxide was detected for the first time and found at a low concentration. An initial testing for alpha-, beta- and gamma-HCH detected concentrations similar to those in other Bering Sea pinnipeds. Mean summation of PCB was 0.45 microg g(-1) wet weight in males and 0.16 microg g(-1) in females; only one sample was > 1 microg g(-1). Traces of aliphatic hydrocarbons were detected in all sampled animals, only pristane (x = 0.48 microg g(-1)) was found in concentrations > 1 microg g(-1). Small sample sizes, a lack of samples from immature animals, and uniformly low concentrations of contaminants precluded meaningful analysis of age-related effects and regional differences.

Acute health problems among the people engaged in the cleanup of the Nakhodka oil spill

To determine if the Nakhodka oil spill and subsequent cleanup efforts had any health effects on the residents along the oil-contaminated coast, we investigated the health status of Anto residents who resided nearest to the coast where the bow ran aground. Two hundred eighty-two men and women involved in the cleanup activities between January 7 and January 20 were interviewed and examined by public health nurses to determine whether they suffered physical symptoms after exposure to the oil spill. Urine examinations for hydrocarbon toxicological markers were performed on 97 residents. The average number of days worked on cleanup activities was 4.7 days for men and 4.3 for women. Seventeen percent of the subjects had worked on cleanup activities for more than 10 days. Protective equipment was used against direct exposure to oil during the cleanup jobs and consisted of gloves used by almost 100% of the subjects and masks used by 87.1% of women and by only 35.4% of men. Glasses were worn by less than 30% of the subjects. Many symptoms emerged after the beginning of cleanup activities. The principal symptoms included low back pain and leg pain, headache, and symptoms of eyes and throat. Among the subjects undergoing urine tests, only three people showed a higher level of hippuric acid, although they returned to normal in the second examination. Accordingly, the exposure to the oil and the subsequent cleanup efforts were suggested to inflict acute health problems on local residents.

Concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons and trace elements in marine mammal tissues archived in the U.S. National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank

The U.S. National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank (NBSB) provides for the long term storage of well documented and preserved specimens representing several types of environmental matrices. A major part of this inventory consists of marine mammal tissues (e.g., blubber, liver, kidney, and muscle). Within the NBSB selected specimens are periodically analyzed for chlorinated hydrocarbons and trace elements. Although only 20% of the 560 marine mammal specimens in the NBSB have been analyzed, the database is of value in evaluating the stability of analytes and sample degradation during storage, for comparing with results from samples collected in the future for long-term monitoring, and for comparing with analytical results from other laboratories on samples collected at the same time for monitoring purposes. The NBSB analytical database contains results for 37 elements, many of which are not analyzed routinely by conventional analytical techniques used in monitoring programs, and the following organic compounds: selected PCB congeners. DDT compounds, alpha- and gamma-HCH, HCB, heptachlor epoxide, oxychlordane, cis-chlordane, trans-chlordane, cis-nonachlor, trans-nonachlor, and dieldrin in 9 marine mammal species: northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus), ringed seal (Phoca hispida), spotted seal (P. largha), bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), pilot whale (Globicephala melas), harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus), beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), and bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus). Analyses of beluga whale blubber for toxaphene and additional chlorinated hydrocarbons are obtained through collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.