Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PCBs) in harbor seal () livers from San Francisco Bay, California and Gulf of Maine

International audienceBioaccumulation of endocrine disruptors in marine mammals positioned at the top of the food chain is of toxicological concern. Stranded four pup and ten adult harbor seal () livers were collected from San Francisco Bay and the Gulf of Maine and analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PCBs). We used GC-ECD and GC-NCI/MS to investigate the presence of 28 PCBs and 8 OH-PCB metabolites, respectively. ΣPCB concentrations (di- to octa-CBs) ranged from 1.81 to 35.9 μg/g lipid with a median of 6.53 for the seal pups and 2.31 to 249 μg/g lipid with a median of 28.9 for the adult seals. ΣOH-PCB concentrations (penta- to hepta-OH-PCBs) ranged from 0.02 to 0.69 μg/g lipid with a median of 0.04 for the adult seals, i.e., at much lower concentrations than those for PCBs. Ratios of OH-PCBs to PCBs (0.24% on average) were comparable to those in beluga whale, but were lower than ratios in human livers. The OH-PCB profiles were slightly different between SFB and GOM seal livers although similar PCB congener patterns were observed. Generally, 4-OH-CB107 was found predominantly in seal livers and was the only OH-PCB detectable in most of seal pup livers. This study provides information on OH-PCBs in seals, adding to the scarce exposure data for these chemicals