Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine compounds (OCs) were determined in the blubber of male finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) collected in 1990 and 2000/01 from the South China Sea. Among the organohalogen compounds analyzed, DDTs and PCBs were the predominant contaminants in the porpoises, ranging from 26,000 to 260,000 and 1400 to 28,000 ng/g lipid wt., respect...

The rising importance of organohalogens in environmental, pharmaceutical, and biological applications has drawn attention to analysis of these compounds in recent years. Elemental mass spectrometry (MS) is particularly advantageous in this regard because of its ability to quantify without compound-specific standards. However, low sensitivity of conventional elemental MS for halogens has hampere...

Glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) from Svalbard, Norway (marine), and herring gulls (Larus argentatus) from the Laurentian Great Lakes (freshwater) of North America are differentially exposed to persistent and bioaccumulative anthropogenic contaminants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants and metabolic products. Such compounds can ...

Exposure to some pesticides and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has been indicated to be a risk factor for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with some subgroups of NHL. In a previous study we found an interaction between high concentrations of some POPs and titres of antibodies to EBV early antigen (EA IgG) in relation to NHL. In the present study w...

To date more than 3650 organohalogen compounds are known to be naturally produced by biogeochemical processes [1]. The current understanding of the abiotic formation of organohalogens during early diagenetic processes in soils and sediments are reviewed. Next to volatile alkyl halides and polar organohalogens such as haloacetates there is evidence that even semivolatile organohalogens (e.g. pol...

In the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, the traditional diet includes pilot whale meat and blubber and other marine food. Fatty fish and blubber of mammals may contain high concentrations of organohalogen substances (OHSs). Elevated levels of OHSs have been reported from the Faroe Islands, first documented in breast milk samples obtained in 1987. The aim of this study was to determine the c...

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are a valuable model species for the assessment of concentrations and effects of environmental contaminants in terrestrial birds. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are found in birds throughout the world, but relatively little is known of their concentrations or effects in free-living terrestrial passerines. We used a nest box population of European st...