An exploratory spatial contaminant assessment for polar bear (Ursus maritimus) liver, fat, and muscle from northern Canada

Boutet, V; Dominique, Mélanie; Km, Eccles; Branigan, Marsha; Dyck, Markus; de, Groot P. van Coeverden; Sc, Lougheed; Rutter, Allison; VS, Langlois

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120663

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…This falls within the 95% confidence interval of the ratios measured in fat 26.0% (95% CI = 19.6-32.4), is slightly higher than the ratio measured in liver 8.2% (95% CI = 6.0-10.4%), and is lower than the ratio measured in muscle 71.3% (95% CI = 66.0 76.7%). None of the concentrations measured in any tissue exceeded the consumption guidelines, which are detailed in Boutet et al (2023). Results of t-tests before correcting for multiple comparisons comparing sexes (male and female) and ages (subadult and adult) indicate both age and sex differences in some of the assayed contaminants in feces and muscle, liver, and fat, but not for most metals.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 89%

“…This limited the number of relationships we could derive. Moreover, while other contaminants (e.g., PACs, PCBs, and pesticides such as chlordanes) were measured in these bears [ 3 ], the large number of non-detects limited our ability to develop feces as a non-invasive biomonitoring tool for these other chemical classes. Many of these other contaminants lack toxic reference values, making it difficult to evaluate and communicate the risks of exposure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All samples used in this study were collected under the BearWatch program, which is a community, government, and academic partnership that aims to develop methods to non-invasively monitor polar bears across the Canadian Arctic by integrating traditional ecological knowledge with genomic [ 20 , 22 , 23 ] and analytical techniques [ 3 ]. Sample sets of skeletal muscle, liver, subcutaneous fat from the rump area, and intestines with feces were obtained through legal hunts of polar bears sanctioned by the Government of Nunavut (GN) and the Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Detailed analytical and quality assurance/ quality control (QA/QC) methods are provided in Boutet et al (2023). In brief, the Analytical Services Unit (ASU) at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, analyzed the samples for metals and elements in the tissues of the polar bears using an Agilent 7700X Inductively Couple Plasma (ICP) Mass spectrometer (MS) (Santa Clara, California, USA) and ICP-optical emission spectrometry (OES) (Varian Vista axial ICP-OES).…”

Section: Chemical Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Once deposited in the environment, chemicals can then enter the food chain, where they can bioaccumulate and biomagnify [1]. Chemicals including metals, polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), polychlorinated bisphenyls (PCBs), and pesticides (e.g., chlordanes) have been detected in tissues of Arctic biota like fish, polar bears (Ursus maritimus), and seal [1][2][3][4]. Metals (e.g., mercury, lead, cadmium) have also been detected in the blood of Inuit, with contaminant levels often higher than those of the general Canadian population [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Non-invasive biomonitoring of polar bear feces can be used to estimate concentrations of metals of concern in traditional food

Eccles,

Boutet,

Branigan

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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The Arctic faces increasing exposure to environmental chemicals such as metals, posing health risks to humans and wildlife. Biomonitoring of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) can be used to quantify chemicals in the environment and in traditional foods consumed by the Inuit. However, typically, these samples are collected through invasive or terminal methods. The biomonitoring of feces could be a useful alternative to the current metal monitoring method within the Arctic. Here, we aim to 1) quantify the relationship between concentrations of metals in the feces and tissues (muscle, liver, and fat) of polar bears using predictive modeling, 2) develop an easy-to-use conversion tool for use in community-based monitoring programs to non-invasively estimate contaminant concentrations in polar bears tissues and 3) demonstrate the application of these models by examining potential exposure risk for humans from consumption of polar bear muscle. Fecal, muscle, liver, and fat samples were harvested from 49 polar bears through a community-based monitoring program. The samples were analyzed for 32 metals. Exploratory analysis indicated that mean metal concentrations generally did not vary by age or sex, and many of the metals measured in feces were positively correlated with the internal tissue concentration. We developed predictive linear regression models between internal (muscle, liver, fat) and external (feces) metal concentrations and further explored the mercury and methylmercury relationships for utility risk screening. Using the cross-validated regression coefficients, we developed a conversion tool that contributes to the One Health approach by understanding the interrelated health of humans, wildlife, and the environment in the Arctic. The findings support using feces as a biomonitoring tool for assessing contaminants in polar bears. Further research is needed to validate the developed models for other regions in the Arctic and assess the impact of environmental weathering on fecal metal concentrations.

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Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%