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Evaluation of the global impacts of mitigation on persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants in marine fish.

ABSTRACT: Although persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants (PBTs) are well-studied individually, their distribution and variability on a global scale are largely unknown, particularly in marine fish. Using 2,662 measurements collected from peer-reviewed literature spanning 1969-2012, we examined variability of five classes of PBTs, considering effects of geography, habitat, and trophic level on observed concentrations. While we see large-scale spatial patterning in some PBTs (chlordanes, polychlorinated biphenyls), habitat type and trophic level did not contribute to significant patterning, with the exception of mercury. We further examined patterns of change in PBT concentration as a function of sampling year. All PBTs showed significant declines in concentration levels through time, ranging from 15-30% reduction per decade across PBT groups. Despite consistent evidence of reductions, variation in pollutant concentration remains high, indicating ongoing consumer risk of exposure to fish with pollutant levels exceeding EPA screening values. The temporal trends indicate that mitigation programs are effective, but that global levels decline slowly. In order for monitoring efforts to provide more targeted assessments of risk to PBT exposure, these data highlight an urgent need for improved replication and standardization of pollutant monitoring protocols for marine finfish.

SUBMITTER: Bonito LT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4734435 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evaluation of the global impacts of mitigation on persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants in marine fish.

Bonito Lindsay T LT Hamdoun Amro A Sandin Stuart A SA

PeerJ 20160128

Although persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants (PBTs) are well-studied individually, their distribution and variability on a global scale are largely unknown, particularly in marine fish. Using 2,662 measurements collected from peer-reviewed literature spanning 1969-2012, we examined variability of five classes of PBTs, considering effects of geography, habitat, and trophic level on observed concentrations. While we see large-scale spatial patterning in some PBTs (chlordanes, polychlo ...[more]

PMID: 26839747

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Project description:With their high persistence in the environment and their potential for long-range atmospheric transport, persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals (PBTs) may be among the numerous anthropogenic threats to insect populations worldwide. The effects of PBTs on insects have been investigated in the laboratory, but topical field studies are scarce. A reason might be the multiple challenges faced by PBT-related field studies on wild insects. We studied two species of bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and of ants (Formica spp.) in two high-elevation locations in the Austrian and German Alps to tackle two of these challenges. First, PBTs occur in minuscule concentrations compared with other substances in the environment. Therefore, the practicability of body burden data from pooled individuals was tested. Second, fitness proxies like fecundity, which typically are endpoints for chemical toxicity, are difficult to quantify in the field. Hence, fluctuating asymmetry of bumblebee wings and ant heads was tested as an alternative endpoint. To exclude the possibility that fluctuating asymmetry was caused by genetic stressors, inbreeding levels were estimated using population-genetic markers, and their relationships to fluctuating asymmetry in the same individuals were assessed. We successfully quantified polychlorinated biphenyls and Hg as PBTs using the pooled samples and found PBT data from pooled individuals useful, in that significant correlations to fluctuating asymmetry were identified in bumblebees and ants. This finding confirmed the potential of fluctuating asymmetry to indicate PBT effects in wild insects. Inbreeding did not interfere with PBT links to fluctuating asymmetry in any instance. Our findings contribute to the development of a quantitative methodological framework for investigating the effects of persistent environmental chemicals on wild insects. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:1215-1227. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Project description:The distribution and fractionation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in different matrices refer to how these pollutants are dispersed and separated within various environmental compartments. This is a significant study area as it helps us understand the transport efficiencies and long-range transport potentials of POPs to enter remote areas, particularly polar regions. This study provides a comprehensive review of the progress in understanding the distribution and fractionation of POPs. We focus on the contributions of four intermedia processes (dry and wet depositions for gaseous and particulate POPs) and determine their transfer between air and soil. These processes are controlled by their partitioning between gaseous and particulate phases in the atmosphere. The distribution patterns and fractionations can be categorized into primary and secondary types. Equations are developed to quantificationally study the primary and secondary distributions and fractionations of POPs. The analysis results suggest that the transfer of low molecular weight (LMW) POPs from air to soil is mainly through gas diffusion and particle deposition, whereas high molecular weight (HMW) POPs are mainly via particle deposition. HMW-POPs tend to be trapped near the source, whereas LMW-POPs are more prone to undergo long-range atmospheric transport. This crucial distinction elucidates the primary reason behind their temperature-independent primary fractionation. However, the secondary distribution and fractionation can only be observed along a temperature gradient, such as latitudinal or altitudinal transects. An animation is produced by a one-dimensional transport model to simulate conceptively the transport of CB-28 and CB-180, revealing the similarities and differences between the primary and secondary distributions and fractionations. We suggest that the decreasing temperature trend along latitudes is not the major reason for POPs to be fractionated into the polar ecosystems, but drives the longer-term accumulation of POPs in cold climates or polar cold trapping.

Dataset Information

Evaluation of the global impacts of mitigation on persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants in marine fish.

Publications

Evaluation of the global impacts of mitigation on persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants in marine fish.

Similar Datasets

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