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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 6(4)

Arsenic speciation in bodily fluids of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

Linda Kuenstl A , Simone Griesel B , Andreas Prange B and Walter Goessler A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute of Chemistry – Analytical Chemistry, Karl-Franzens University Graz, Universitätsplatz 1, 8010 Graz, Austria.

B Institute for Coastal Research, GKSS-Research Centre Geesthacht, Max-Planck-Straße 1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany.

C Corresponding author. Email: walter.goessler@uni-graz.at

Environmental Chemistry 6(4) 319-327 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN08079
Submitted: 15 October 2008  Accepted: 19 June 2009   Published: 25 August 2009

Environmental context. Marine mammals play an important role in their ecosystem. As top predators they ingest a lot of arsenic from their food. In the present study bodily fluids and tissue samples of harbor seals and porpoises were investigated for arsenic speciation in order to obtain a clearer picture on their feeding habits and consequently a better understanding of the mass mortality of the animals in the North and Baltic Sea.

Abstract. The total arsenic concentrations and arsenic speciation in various tissues and bodily fluids of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) were determined to obtain information about the feeding habits of these endangered marine mammals. Lower whole blood arsenic concentrations were found for fish-fed (median: 71 μg As L–1) than for free ranging seals (median: 190 μg As L–1). In porpoise liver the arsenic concentrations were higher from carcasses found in the North Sea (median: 421 μg As kg–1 wet mass) than from those inhabiting the Baltic Sea or found in the River Elbe (median: 250 μg As kg–1). The arsenic speciation in the urine, plasma, and gastric juice of seals and the urine of porpoises, collected from animals at different areas in the North and Baltic Seas, revealed the following picture: arsenobetaine was the predominant arsenic species in all measured bodily fluids. Plasma samples of seals contained only dimethylarsinic acid as additional species. In gastric juice arsenocholine and trimethylarsine oxide were found at trace concentrations. Several arsenic compounds were identified in mammals’ urine, the major being dimethylarsinic acid and thio-dimethylarsinic acid but high variability was observed in the relative proportions of each. No correlation between degree of decay and arsenic speciation in urine could be found. This is very useful information as older carcasses can also be included in future studies. Our preliminary results are promising to obtain an insight into feeding habits of seals and porpoises by the arsenic speciation in urine.

Additional keywords: arsenic speciation, HPLC-ICPMS, marine mammals, plasma, urine.


Acknowledgements

The authors thank all participants of the seal catches: Amt für ländliche Räume Schleswig-Holstein, Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park Office and Service, Research and Technology Centre Büsum (FTZ), Leibniz Institute of Marine Science at Kiel University (IFM-GEOMAR), Kai Abt, Fisheries and Maritime Museum Esbjerg, crew of the ship Saibling and the Danish Crew. The seal catches were financially supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environmental, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, and the SchleswigHolstein Wadden Sea National Park Office. The authors also thank all colleagues from the GKSS, FTZ, Jörg Driver, and give special thanks to Tanja Rosenberger and the colleagues from the Seal Centre Fiedrichskoog for support with the sampling.


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