Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium; Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (Entox), The University of Queensland, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia.
Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium; Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Biology, Høgskoleringen 5, Realfagbygget, 7491 Trondheim, Norway.
Environ Res. 2015 Feb;137:199-207. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2014.12.022. Epub 2015 Jan 5.
Organohalogenated compounds are widespread in the marine environment and can be a serious threat to organisms in all levels of aquatic food webs, including elasmobranch species. Information about the concentrations of POPs (persistent organic pollutants) and of MeO-PBDEs (methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers) in elasmobranchs is scarce and potential toxic effects are poorly understood. The aims of the present study were therefore to investigate the occurrence of multiple POP classes (PCBs, PBDEs, DDXs, HCB, CHLs) and of MeO-PBDEs in various elasmobranch species from different trophic levels in estuarine and marine waters of the southeastern United States. Overall, levels and patterns of PCBs, PBDEs, DDXs, HCB, CHLs and of MeO-PBDEs varied according to the species, maturity stage, gender and habitat type. The lowest levels of POPs were found in Atlantic stingrays and the highest levels were found in bull sharks. As both species are respectively near the bottom and at top of the trophic web, with juvenile bull sharks frequently feeding on Atlantic stingrays, these findings further suggest a bioaccumulation and biomagnification process with trophic position. MeO-PBDEs were not detected in Atlantic stingrays, but were found in all shark species. HCB was not found in Atlantic stingrays, bonnetheads or lemon sharks, but was detected in the majority of bull sharks examined. Comparison with previous studies suggests that Atlantic stingrays may be experiencing toxic effects of PCBs and DDXs on their immune system. However, the effect of these compounds on the health of shark species remains unclear.
有机卤代化合物在海洋环境中广泛存在，可能对所有水生食物网层次的生物构成严重威胁，包括鲨鱼。关于持久性有机污染物（POPs）和甲氧基多溴二苯醚（MeO-PBDEs）在鲨鱼中的浓度的信息很少，潜在的毒性影响也知之甚少。因此，本研究的目的是调查美国东南部河口和海洋水域中不同营养层次的各种鲨鱼中多种 POP 类（多氯联苯、多溴二苯醚、DDXs、六氯环己烷、氯代烷烃）和 MeO-PBDEs 的存在情况。总的来说，PCBs、PBDEs、DDXs、HCB、CHLs 和 MeO-PBDEs 的水平和模式因物种、成熟阶段、性别和栖息地类型而异。POPs 的最低水平出现在大西洋黄貂鱼中，最高水平出现在牛鲨中。由于这两个物种分别位于食物链的底部和顶部，幼牛鲨经常以大西洋黄貂鱼为食，这些发现进一步表明存在生物积累和营养级放大过程。大西洋黄貂鱼中未检测到 MeO-PBDEs，但在所有鲨鱼物种中均有发现。HCB 未在大西洋黄貂鱼、红鳍鲷或柠檬鲨中发现，但在检查的大多数牛鲨中均有发现。与之前的研究相比，大西洋黄貂鱼可能正在经历 PCBs 和 DDXs 对其免疫系统的毒性影响。然而，这些化合物对鲨鱼物种健康的影响尚不清楚。
