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Results
Archived specimens
As of February 1997, 595 tissue specimens had been
collected from 11 species, seven of which are Arctic species, i.e.,
bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), beluga whale (Delphinapterus
leucas), ringed seal (Phoca hispida), spotted seal (P.
largha), bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), Pacific
walrus (Odobenus rosmarus), and polar bear (Ursus maritimus).
The majority of these specimens have come from three species, bowhead
whale (46 animals), beluga whale (45 animals), and ringed seal (46
animals), all of which are important subsistence food resources
in the Arctic.
Use of archived specimens
and data
Although only a small part of the AMMTAP collection
(~20%) has been analyzed for chlorinated hydrocarbons and trace
elements and, therefore, the database on these banked specimens
is limited, some results have been published. The archived marine
mammal specimens and associated database represent a major resource
that has been used by researchers for a variety of purposes:
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Determine the baseline levels of chlorinated hydrocarbons
and trace elements, including heavy metals, in Arctic marine
mammal species (NOAA Fisheries; NIST; FWS; University of Ulm
and Research Center of Juelich, Germany).
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Determine the circumpolar distribution of chlorinated
hydrocarbons in biota (Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada).
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Identify organic forms or arsenic and mercury
in tissues (NIST; Karl-Franz University Graz, Austria).
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Genetic stock separation of pinnipeds and beluga
whales (NOAA Fisheries).
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Research into animal nutrition and nutrient deficiencies
in polar bears (Denver Zoo).
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Risk assessment of subsistence foods and human
health (North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management;
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services; Alaska Native
Health Service; University of Alaska-Anchorage).
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Contribution to the contaminant database established
by the international Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme
(AMAP).
Researchers receiving AMMTAP samples for chemical
analysis are required to provide the results back to the project
on a timely basis and back to those local parties and appropriate
agencies who have a need for the results. In order to insure that
the results are accurate and that the quality of the data can be
documented and verified, these researchers are also required to
participate in a NOAA Fisheries sponsored marine mammal quality
assurance (QA) program funded through the Marine Mammal Health and
Stranding Response Program and coordinated by NIST.
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Range
of liver concentration values (ppm, wet weight) for 24 elements
in cetaceans (black) and pinnipeds (red) as compared to maximum-minimum
values (blue). Cetaceans: bowhead whale, beluga whale, pilot
whale, and harbor porpoise. Pinnipeds: northern fur seal,
ringed seal, bearded seal, spotted seal. |
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Comparison
of chlorinated hydrocarbon concentrations measured in the
blubber of a female beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas)
and her near-term fetus sampled by the AMMTAP in Cook Inlet,
Alaska (from unpublished data of M. Schantz, NIST).
These compounds are transferred to the fetus before birth
and it appears that, in the case of this animal, chlordane
compounds (trans-nonachlor, cis-chlordane, cis-nonachlor)
and dieldrin were preferentially transferred to the fetus. |
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Comparison
of PCB congeners measured in the blubber of female beluga
whale (Delphinapterus leucas) and her near-term fetus
sampled by the AMMTAP in Cook Inlet, Alaska (from unpublished
data of M. Schantz, NIST). These compounds are transferred
to the fetus before birth and it appears that, in the case
of this animal, some of the more highly chlorinated hydrocarbons
were preferentially transferred to the fetus. |
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continued to
Summary and the Future
return to Alaska Contaminants
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