Temporal and biogeographic comparisons of PCBs and persistent organochlorine pollutants in the blubber of fin whales from eastern Canada in 1971-1991

摘要

Concentrations of PCB congeners and organochlorine (OC) pesticides were studied in archived fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus blubber samples collected in 1971-1972 from Newfoundland (Nfld) and Nova Scotia (NS) with the objective of obtaining a his- torical perspective on contaminant levels and proportions at a time when many persistent Ocs were still in use. Concentrations of ∑PCBs and ∑DDTs in the blubber of 17 fin whales from historical whaling stations in 1971-1972 were generally in agreement with previously reported values for fin whales from Atlantic Canada.