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Wu Y, Fernie KJ, Letcher RJ, Clark KE, Park JS, Watts BD, Barber PM, Chen D. Exposure of Peregrine Falcons to Halogenated Flame Retardants: A 30 Year Retrospective Biomonitoring Study across North America. Environ Sci Technol 2024; 58:7154-7164. [PMID: 38590004 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Compared to aquatic ecosystem, terrestrial systems have been subjected to fewer investigations on the exposure to halogenated flame retardants (HFRs). Our study utilized peregrine falcon eggs collected from multiple habitats across North America to retrospectively explore both spatial distribution and temporal changes in legacy (e.g., polybrominated diphenyl ethers) and alternative HFRs over a 30 year period (1984-2016). The results reveal intensive HFR exposure in terrestrial ecosystems and chemical-specific spatiotemporal distribution patterns. The correlations between egg levels of the selected HFRs and human population density clearly illustrated a significant urban influence on the exposure of this wildlife species to these HFRs and subsequent maternal transfer to their eggs. Temporal analyses suggest that, unlike aquatic systems, terrestrial ecosystems may undergo continual exposure to consistently high levels of legacy HFRs for a long period of time. Our findings collectively highlight the effectiveness of using peregrine eggs to monitor terrestrial exposure to HFRs and other bioaccumulative chemicals and the need for continuous monitoring of HFRs in terrestrial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Kim J Fernie
- Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, Ontario L7S 1A1, Canada
| | - Robert J Letcher
- Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Kathleen E Clark
- New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Endangered and Nongame Species Program, Woodbine, New Jersey 08270, United States
| | - June-Soo Park
- California Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Toxic Substances Control, Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94710, United States
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
| | - Bryan D Watts
- Center for Conservation Biology, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185, United States
| | - Patricia M Barber
- Pennsylvania Game Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110, United States
| | - Da Chen
- School of Environment and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China
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