Effects of organochlorine contaminants on loggerhead sea turtle immunity: comparison of a correlative field study and in vitro exposure experiments. Environ. Health Perspect

Abstract. Few studies have described the organochlorine (OC) contaminant concentrations found in sea turtle tissues. These studies have relied on the opportunistic sampling of either eggs or tissues from stranded carcasses. In this study, the use of whole blood samples as well as both blood components (plasma and red blood cells) were examined as a non-destruc-tive alternative for monitoring OCs in free-ranging loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Blood samples were collected from juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (n 12) captured in Core Sound, North Carolina, USA and analyzed for 55 polychlori-nated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and 24 OC pesticides by gas chromatography with electron capture detection and mass spec-trometry. Using pooled loggerhead sea turtle whole blood, three different liquid:liquid extraction techniques were com-pared. Results were similar in terms of recovery of interna