Liver concentrations of flame retardants in Eurasian otters (Luta lutra) collected from Britain in 2010 2011: a Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) report

摘要

The Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS; HUhttp://pbms.ceh.ac.uk/UH) is the umbrella project that encompasses the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology’s National Capability contaminant monitoring and surveillance work on avian predators. By monitoring sentinel vertebrate species, the PBMS aims to detect and quantify current and emerging chemical threats to the environment and in particular to vertebrate wildlife.ududThe current study presents the results of a collaborative monitoring programme between the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) and the Cardiff University Otter Project (CUOP) in which the concentrations of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) and some of the newer replacement flame retardants were determined in the livers of Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra). The principle aim of this work was to determine the current concentrations of PBDEs and other flame retardants that are accumulated by otters and whether there was any evidence of differences in accumulation between otters of different age, sex or provenance. ududThe otters that were analysed were from England and Wales and included adult and sub-adult males and females. Liver tissue was analysed using either Gas Chromatograph – Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) or Liquid Chromatograph – Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) techniques. ududPBDEs were present in all otters analysed, while other newer flame retardants (replacements for some of the PBDEs) were detectable in 8 of the 64 livers tested. Individual PBDE congener profiles were dominated by BDE 47 (76% of sum PBDE concentrations wet weight) with BDE 153 and BDE 100 accounting for a further 21% of the PBDE tissue load. The concentrations of ΣPBDEs measured in the present study ranged between 3 and 718 ng/g wet weight and were within the range previously reported for Eurasian otters in England & Wales that had died between 1995 and 2005. There was no significant variation in liver ΣPBDE concentrations with age, sex, geographical provenance or year of death. ud