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Paul R Becker

Publications and source records attributed to Paul R Becker.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Development of a murre (Uria spp.) egg control material.

The Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) is a collaborative Alaska-wide effort by the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS/AMNWR), the US Geological Survey's Biological Resources Division (USGS/BRD), the Bureau of Indian Affairs Alaska Region Subsistence Branch (BIA/ARSB), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to monitor long-term (decadal) trends in environmental contaminants using seabird eggs. To support this effort, a matrix- (seabird egg) and concentration-specific control material was needed to ensure quality during analytical work. Although a herring gull egg quality assurance (HGQA) material is available from Environment Canada (EC), contaminant concentrations in this material tended to be higher than those observed in Alaskan murre (Uria spp.) eggs. Therefore, to prepare a more appropriate control material, a total of 12 common murre (U. aalge) and thick-billed murre (U. lomvia) eggs from four Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska nesting locations were cryohomogenized to create 190 aliquots each containing approximately 6 g. This new control material was analyzed by different methods at NIST and EC facilities for the determination of concentrations and value assignment of 63 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, 20 organochlorine pesticides, and 11 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners. The total PCB concentration is approximately 58 ng g(-1) wet mass. Results obtained for analytes not listed on the certificates of analysis of the previously used control materials, HGQA and NIST's Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1946 Lake Superior Fish Tissue, are also presented.

Alaska↗
PubMed2006

Persistent organic pollutants in Alaskan ringed seal (Phoca hispida) and walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) blubber.

Since 1987, the Alaska Marine Mammal Tissue Archival Project (AMMTAP) has collected tissues from 18 marine mammal species. Specimens are archived in the National Institute of Standards and Technology's National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank (NIST-NBSB). AMMTAP has collected blubber, liver and/or kidney specimens from a number of ringed seals (Phoca hispida) from the areas near Nome and Barrow, Alaska and walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) from several locations in the Bering Sea. Thirty-three ringed seal and 15 walrus blubber samples from the NIST-NBSB were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The compounds determined included PCBs (28 congeners or congener groups), DDT and related compounds, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs), chlordanes, dieldrin, and mirex. POP concentrations in ringed seal blubber were significantly higher in Barrow than in Nome when statistically accounting for the interaction of age and gender; HCB, however, was not statistically different between the two locations. Unlike males, POP concentrations and age were not significantly correlated in females probably as a result of lactational loss. POP concentrations in walrus blubber were lower than in ringed seal blubber for SigmaPCBs, chlordanes, and HCHs, but higher for dieldrin and mirex. POP concentrations in ringed seals and walrus from Alaska provide further evidence that the western Arctic tends to have lower or similar POP concentrations compared to the eastern Canadian Arctic.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2006

The U.S. National biomonitoring specimen bank and the marine environmental specimen bank.

The National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank (NBSB), established in 1979 at the NIST Neutron Research Facility, Gaithersburg, Maryland, was specifically designed to store environmental specimens over long periods of time (50-100 years). This bank contains specimens (e.g., human livers, marine sediments, fish tissues, mussels, oysters, human diet samples, and marine mammal tissues) collected as part of several monitoring and research programs supported by U.S. Federal agencies. In 2002, NIST completed the construction of a second environmental specimen bank facility specifically designed for supporting monitoring and research on marine environmental health issues. This facility, the Marine Environmental Specimen Bank (Marine ESB) is located at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, in partnership with a U.S. Federal resource agency, two universities, and a State of South Carolina resource agency. The Marine ESB provides a resource of research specimens that are used to address questions regarding temporal and geographic trends in environmental contamination, genetic separation of populations of animals, and the health status of various types of marine animals. Specimens banked include marine mammal tissues, bird tissues, mussels, and oysters. Plans are underway to establish protocols and initiate banking procedures for other types of marine organisms and environmental materials as part of an expanded effort to support research on the health of marine biota.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Murre eggs (Uria aalge and Uria lomvia) as indicators of mercury contamination in the Alaskan marine environment.

Sixty common murre (Uria aalge) and 27 thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) eggs collected by the Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) in 1999-2001 from two Gulf of Alaska and three Bering Sea nesting colonies were analyzed for total mercury (Hg) using isotope dilution cold vapor inductively coupled mass spectrometry. Hg concentrations (wet mass) ranged from 0.011 microg/g to 0.357 microg/g (relative standard deviation = 76%), while conspecifics from the same colonies and years had an average relative standard deviation of 33%. Hg levels in eggs from the Gulf of Alaska (0.166 microg/g +/- 0.011 microg/g) were significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than in the Bering Sea (0.047 microg/g +/- 0.004 microg/g). Within the Bering Sea, Hg was significantly higher (p = 0.0007) in eggs from Little Diomede Island near the arctic than at the two more southern colonies. Although thick-billed and common murres are ecologicallysimilar,there were significant species differences in egg Hg concentrations within each region (p < 0.0001). In the Bering Sea, eggs from thick-billed murres had higher Hg concentrations than eggs from common murres, while in the Gulf of Alaska, common murre eggs had higher concentrations than those of thick-billed murres. A separate one-way analysis of variance on the only time-trend data currently available for a colony (St. Lazaria Island in the Gulf of Alaska) found significantly lower Hg concentrations in common murre eggs collected in 2001 compared to 1999 (p = 0.017). Results from this study indicate that murre eggs may be effective monitoring units for detecting geographic, species, and temporal patterns of Hg contamination in marine food webs. The relatively small intracolony variation in egg Hg levels and the ability to consistently obtain adequate sample sizes both within and among colonies over a large geographic range means that monitoring efforts using murre eggs will have suitable statistical power for detecting environmental patterns of Hg contamination. The potential influences of trophic effects, physical transport patterns, and biogeochemical processes on these monitoring efforts are discussed, and future plans to investigate the sources of the observed variability are presented.

Alaska↗
PubMed2005

Persistent organic pollutants in two dolphin species with focus on toxaphene and polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

Assessing trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in marine mammals is difficult due to age, gender, and metabolism influences on accumulation. To help elucidate these effects in dolphins, POP concentrations were determined in the Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus, a pelagic delphinid inhabiting North Atlantic waters, and in the rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis, a pelagic delphinid inhabiting tropical and subtropical waters. The specific objectives of this study were to determine baseline POP concentrations in L. acutus and S. bredanensis blubber samples and to examine the effects of age, gender, and metabolism on POP concentrations in dolphin blubber. Focus was aimed at contaminants of emerging concern, specifically, toxaphene and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Samples collected from L. acutus (n = 47) stranding events in Massachusetts (1993--2000) and S. bredanensis samples (n = 15) were analyzed for PCBs, toxaphene, and other organic pesticides by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Age and gender influences were similar between the two species, with adult females having significantly lower POP concentrations as compared to adult males and juveniles. Mean sigma toxaphene concentrations were highest in juvenile L. acutus, 13.0 (6.7) microg/g wet mass (1 SD), and lowest in adult female S. bredanensis, 1.49 (1.4) microg/g wet mass. sigma PBDE (sum of congeners 47, 99, 100, 153, and 154) concentrations were highest in juvenile L. acutus, 2.41 (1.2) microg/g wet mass, and lowest in adult female S. bredanensis, 0.51 (0.6) microg/g wet mass. POP concentrations did not significantly differ between adult males and juveniles, suggesting metabolism of congeners and/or dilution with growth. PBDE concentrations in juvenile white-sided dolphins were not significantly related to collection year, suggesting that there may be a lag period for higher concentrations to be detected in pelagic marine mammals such as L. acutus or that concentrations have already peaked in this species prior to the first collection in 1993.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2005

Monitoring mercury in the loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta.

The validity of using blood samples and keratinized scutes for nonlethal routine monitoring of mercury (Hg) in loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, is evaluated in the context of how effectively these matrixes predict internal tissue Hg burdens and the different temporal scales of exposure they represent. Total Hg (THg) was measured in blood and scutes collected from live captures (n = 34) and liver, kidney, muscle, spinal cord, blood, and scutes collected from freshly stranded loggerhead turtles (n = 6) along the coast of the southeastern United States. Linear regressions between monitoring compartments and internal tissues from stranded animals were all statistically significant (r2 > 0.805, p < 0.015) but varied in their utility as a predictive tool depending on which tissues were paired. Blood was an effective predictor of THg in muscle (r2 = 0.988, p < 0.0001) and spinal cord (r2 = 0.988, p < 0.0001), while scute was the most accurate predictor of THg in liver (r2 = 0.948, p = 0.0010). The strength of the relationship between tissues types is believed to reflect the similarity in the temporal scales they represent and the variability in the fraction of methylmercury present. The stability of Hg in the scute matrix makes this tissue preferable for approximating long-term exposure, while blood Hg levels can be affected by recent changes in Hg intake. THg levels in blood and scutes from live captures were highly correlated (linear regression r2 = 0.926, p < 0.0001) and increased significantly with body mass (r2 = 0.173, p = 0.016 and r2 = 0.187, p = 0.012 respectively), further supporting thatthere is a component reflecting long-term accumulation of Hg in these matrixes. We also present a novel technique using the residuals from the blood-scute regression as an index of recent exposure (IRE). The interpretation of this value is derived from the comparison between the most recent Hg intake (which contributes to the Hg measured in the blood) relative to the average past intake (which is recorded in the scute). A stepwise multiple regression revealed a significant positive relationship between the IRE and the proximity of the capture site to the nearest major industrial river mouth (p = 0.0102). This suggests that there is an elevation of bioavailable Hg in nearshore habitats where terrestrial influences and anthropogenic impacts are high. Seasonal foraging site fidelity and the variability in environmental Hg may explain the high intraspecific variability and occasional highly contaminated turtle seen in this and previous studies.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Factors influencing persistent organic pollutant concentrations in the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus).

Assessing the trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in cetaceans is difficult because of age and gender influences on accumulation. Persistent organic pollutants bioaccumulate and are poorly metabolized; hence, concentrations may increase with age in males while females reduce their POP burden through parturition and lactation. Age and gender effects on contaminant concentrations are species specific because of life history and reproductive strategies. These influences must be understood in order to elucidate and assess lifetime POP exposure. The objectives of this study were to determine baseline POP concentrations in blubber samples from the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) and to investigate life history and other influences, such as metabolism, on these concentrations. Forty-seven L. acutus blubber samples collected from mass stranding events in Massachusetts, USA (1993-2000), and archived in the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, MD, USA) were analyzed for 55 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners (PCB; 55 congeners), five polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners, and organochlorine pesticides (toxaphene, DDT and metabolites, mirex, dieldrin, chlordanes, hexachlorocyclohexanes, hexachlorobenzene, and endosulfans) by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Ages for 19 animals were determined from growth layer groups on decalcified, stained thin tooth sections. Total PCBs (sigmaPCB; sum of 55 congeners) were the contaminants present in the highest concentrations in all age classes (0.5-63 microg/g wet mass) followed by sum of DDTs (0.50-43 microg/g wet mass), toxaphene (0.055-31 microg/g wet mass), chlordanes (0.30-24 microg/g wet mass), and PBDEs (0.12-4.0 microg/g wet mass). Body length had a greater statistical influence than age on contaminant burdens in L. acutus. Contaminant burdens decreased with length in both male and female L. acutus, suggesting metabolic elimination and/or growth dilution in males and off-loading via lactation in females.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2004

Persistent organic pollutants in Alaskan murre (Uria spp.) eggs: geographical, species, and temporal comparisons.

Concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in eggs of common and thick-billed murres (Uria aalge and U. lomvia) from five Alaskan nesting colonies were dominated by 4,4'-DDE, total polychlorinated biphenyls (totalPCBs; 46 congeners comprised mainly of PCB congeners 153, 118, 138, 99, and 151), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH), and chlordane compounds (totalCHL). Concentrations of 4,4'-DDE, cis-nonachlor, and heptachlor epoxide were lower than those reported for some of the same colonies in the 1970s, while HCB concentrations were similar. In general, significantly higher concentrations were found in eggs from Gulf of Alaska colonies compared to those from Bering Sea colonies except for HCB (higher in the Bering Sea) and beta-HCH (no significant difference between the two regions). Thick-billed murre eggs contained higher concentrations of 4,4'-DDE and totalPCBs, whereas common murre eggs had higher HCB concentrations. Possible factors contributing to the POPs patterns found in eggs from these murre colonies are discussed.

Alaska↗
PubMed2002

Persistent organochlorine pollutants in ringed seals and polar bears collected from northern Alaska.

Blubber samples from ringed seal (Phoca hispida; n = 8) and polar bear subcutaneous fat (Ursus maritimus; n = 5) were collected near Barrow, Alaska in 1996 as part of the Alaska Marine Mammal Tissue Archival Project (AMMTAP) and retained in the National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland (USA). The samples were analyzed for a variety of persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), chlordane and metabolites, hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and DDTs and metabolites. The geometric mean, on a wet mass basis, of sigmaPCBs (sum of 29 congeners and congener groups) were 732+/-282 ng/g (1 S.D.) in seals and 3395+/-1442 ng/g in polar bears. The geometric mean of sigmaDDTs, sigmaHCHs (alpha-, beta- and gamma- HCH) and HCB concentrations (wet mass basis) in seals and bears were 562+/-261 ng/g vs. 74.8+/-39 ng/g, 380+/-213 ng/g vs. 515 ng/g, and 17.4+/-10.1 ng/g vs. 183+/-153 ng/g, respectively. The geometric mean sum of chlordane (sigmachlordane, sum of cis- and trans-chlordane, cis- and trans-nonachlor, oxychlordane and heptachlor epoxide) and dieldrin concentrations in ringed seals and polar bears were 753+/-617 ng/g vs. 720+/-315 ng/g and 38.6+/-22.8 ng/g vs. 130+/-65 ng/g, respectively. Apparent bioaccumulation factors (polar bear/ringed seal POP concentrations) were lower in the animals sampled near Barrow, Alaska than in those from locations in the Canadian Arctic. This suggests that polar bears are also preying on marine mammals from lower trophic levels than the ringed seals with correspondingly lower organochlorine levels, such as bowhead whale carcasses. PCB congener patterns in the samples demonstrated the metabolism of certain PCB congeners in the polar bear relative to the ringed seal in agreement with previous studies. Regional comparisons of animals collected in Alaska and Arctic Canada are presented.

Adipose Tissue↗