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SC/69B/E/17
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Resource ID
22078
Access
Open
Document Number
SC/69B/E/17
Full Title
Phthalate ester and cholesterol profiles of blubber samples of the free-ranging Amazon River dolphin (Cetacea: Iniidae: Inia geoffrensis) in the Brazilian Amazon
Author
Lucas Fazardo De Lima, Isadora Nicole Lara Piccinin, Giulia Galani Martha, Susane Lopes, Cristiane Kiyomi Miyaji Kolesnikovas, Thais Carneiro Santos Rodrigues, Miriam Marmontel, And Marcelo Maraschin
Authors Summary
Summary to come
Publisher
IWC
Publication Year
2024
Abstract
Water pollution with plastics and their chemical constituents is a global concern due to their impact on the health of aquatic animals. Phthalate esters (PAE) have widely been used as plasticizers in plastic polymers and can be found in animals through ingestion of plastic debris and in contaminated environments. This contamination has been associated with carcinogenic effects and animal endocrine and reproductive disruptions. In this sense, this study aimed to assess the exposure of free-ranging Amazon River dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) to PAE in a remote area of the Brazilian Amazon, within the Aman? Sustainable Development Reserve. The contents of four PAE, e.g., dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were determined in blubber samples collected from 14 animals. Additionally, cholesterol contents were also measured to evaluate potential metabolic disturbances associated with PAE contamination. The results revealed that all sampled animals were contaminated with at least two PAE, with DEHP and DBP being the most frequent and with the highest contents, i.e., 2.01-191.65 ng/uL and 5.44-242.15 ng/uL, respectively. Additionally, positive correlations (p<0.05) were detected between DBP, DEHP, and DEP amounts and the animal total body length, suggesting possible bioaccumulation of those xenobiotics in a contaminated environment. These findings underscore the need for further researches on the effect of anthropogenic pollutants like PAE in aquatic environments, particularly in diverse and abundant biomes, supposedly less exposed to plastic pollutants such as a reserve within the Amazon rainforest. Indeed, unraveling specific hazardous impacts of PAE contamination in endangered Amazonian aquatic species with slow reproduction rates and long lifespans, such as the Amazon River dolphin, is crucial for both Amazonian aquatic mammal?s species conservation and the Amazonian ecosystem?s health.