RELATIONSHIP OF SILVER WITH SELENIUM AND MERCURY IN THE LIVER OF 2 SPECIES OF TOOTHED WHALES (ODONTOCETES)

Liver specimens archived in the National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank f rom beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, and from Alaska and pilot wh ales, Globicephala melas, from the North Atlantic were analysed for si lver, selenium and total mercury. Silver concentrations in beluga whal es were one to three orders of magnitude higher than the concentration s in pilot whales and those reported elsewhere for other marine mammal s. The concentrations of silver in the livers of beluga whales were th e same or in some instances higher than the concentrations of selenium or mercury. Like mercury, silver was positively correlated with selen ium in both pilot and beluga whales. This suggests a possible role for selenium in the accumulation and storage of silver in both species of whales, and raises questions about the potential for silver at such h igh concentrations to affect radical-scavenging enzyme systems in thes e marine mammals.