1 research outputs found
Modeling PCB-Bioaccumulation in the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus): Estimating a Dietary Threshold Concentration
An
individually based (IB) model to predict PCB concentrations
in the bottlenose dolphin population of Charleston, SC, USA, was developed
with the aim to gain a better understanding of the bioaccumulation
behavior and health risk of dietary PCBs across the population and
their prey. PCB concentrations predicted in male and female bottlenose
dolphin were in good agreement with observed tissue concentrations
corroborating the reliability of the model performance and its utility
in gaining a more complete view of risk. The modeled cumulative distribution
of ΣPCB concentrations for the population with a breakdown into
juvenile, adult male, and female subclasses ranged from 3600 to 144,400
ng/g lipid with 66% to >80% of the population exceeding the established
threshold for adverse health effects of 17,000 ng/g lipid. The model
estimated that a dietary PCB concentration not exceeding 5.1 ng/g
wet wt would be required to reach a condition where 95% of the population
would have tissue levels below the health effect threshold. The IB
model for PCBs in bottlenose dolphins provides a novel approach to
estimating the maximum acceptable dietary concentration for PCBs,
a central and important factor to protect these apex predators. The
model also enables effective prediction of concentrations in dolphins
from fish contaminant surveys which are logistically easier and less
costly to collect