Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6332986 | Science of The Total Environment | 2013 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
Total mercury concentrations ([THg]) measured in western Aleutian Island Steller sea lion pup hair were the highest maximum [THg] documented in this endangered species to date. Some pups exceeded concentrations at which other fish-eating mammals can exhibit adverse neurological and reproductive effects (21% and 15% pups above 20 and 30 μg/g in hair, respectively). Of particular concern is fetal exposure to mercury during a particularly vulnerable stage of neurological development in late gestation. Hair and blood [THg] were highly correlated and 20% of pups sampled in the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska exceeded mammalian risk thresholds established for each of these tissues. Higher nitrogen isotope ratios suggested that pups accumulated the highest [THg] when their dams fed on higher trophic level prey during late gestation.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Environmental Science
Environmental Chemistry
Authors
Lorrie D. Rea, J. Margaret Castellini, Lucero Correa, Brian S. Fadely, Todd M. O'Hara,