Spatial and temporal trends of perfluorinated compounds in juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) along the east coast of the United States
by O'Connell, Steven Gehrig, M.S., COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON, 2009, 119 pages; 1465459

Abstract:

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are globally distributed persistent environmental contaminants. This study provides temporal trends as well as large-scale spatial trends of PFC concentrations in threatened juvenile loggerhead sea turtles from Florida Bay, Florida, Cape Canaveral, Florida, Charleston, South Carolina, Core Sound, North Carolina, and Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. PFCs were extracted from 164 plasma and serum samples using solid-phase extraction and quantified with LC/MS/MS. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was the predominant compound detected in all loggerhead sea turtle samples (range 0.31 to 39.0 ng/g). Concentrations of six compounds significantly varied by location (p ≤ 0.01), with MD or FL Bay turtles having the highest PFC concentrations. FL turtles occupying inshore embayments had a higher proportion of perfluorocarboxylates compared to PFOS than other study sites. This study was the first to correlate wildlife PFC concentrations with human abundance; however, no significant correlation was found among study sites. PFOS and perfluorononanoate (PFNA) significantly decreased from 2000-2008 in the SC turtles (p ≤ 0.02) by 20% and 11%, respectively. PFOS and perfluorodecanoate (PFDA) were correlated to each other independent of region or year (r2 ≥ 0.50). Future investigations should continue temporal assessments as PFC regulations change and attempt to pinpoint specific sources and transport pathways in areas with higher PFC contamination.

 
AdviserJennifer M. Keller
SchoolCOLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
SourceMAI/ 47-06, p. , Jul 2009
Source TypeThesis
SubjectsZoology; Analytical chemistry; Environmental science
Publication Number1465459
Adobe PDF Access the complete dissertation:
 

» Find an electronic copy at your library.
  Use the link below to access a full citation record of this graduate work:
  http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:1465459
  If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access a 24 page preview for free (if available).

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With over 2.3 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

The database includes citations of graduate works ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Of the 2.3 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 1.9 million in full text formats. Of those, over 860,000 are available in PDF format. More than 60,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.