POLYCHLORINATED-BIPHENYLS AND ORGANOCHLORINE COMPOUNDS IN BRAIN, LIVER AND MUSCLE OF BELUGA WHALES (DELPHINAPTERUS-LEUCAS) FROM THE ARCTIC AND ST.-LAWRENCE ESTUARY

Brain, liver and muscle samples from seven male beluga whales, Delphin apterus leucas, from Hendrickson Island in the Canadian Arctic (n = 3) and the St. Lawrence River estuary (n = 4), were analyzed for polychl orinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other organochlorine (OC) compounds to d etermine whether there are differences in the distribution of these co ntaminants in beluga tissues and between geographic locations. Wet wei ght concentrations of Sigma PCB, Sigma DDT, Sigma chlordane and mirex were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in St. Lawrence samples. Principa l component analysis (PCA) of the PCB and OC data indicated that conta minant profiles in belugas from the St. Lawrence reflect point-source inputs of these compounds while Arctic samples appear to be dominated by PCB congeners and OC compounds subject to long-range transport and deposition. Discriminant functions analysis of the contaminant data fo r the brain, liver and muscle tissues indicated that the distributions of OC compounds in the liver and muscle tissues were very similar, wh ile brain samples could be distinguished from other tissues by;differe nces in PCB congener patterns and higher concentrations of Sigma hexac hlorocyclohexane (Sigma HCH), primarily alpha HCH. (C) 1998 Elsevier S cience Ltd. All rights reserved.