A risk assessment review of mercury exposure in Arctic marine and terrestrial mammals

Rune Dietz; Robert J. Letcher; Jon Aars; Magnus Andersen; Andrei Boltunov; Erik W. Born; Tomasz M. Ciesielski; Krishna Das; Sam Dastnai; Andrew E. Derocher; Jean Pierre Desforges; Igor Eulaers; Steve Ferguson; Ingeborg G. Hallanger; Mads P. Heide-Jørgensen; Lars Eric Heimbürger-Boavida; Paul F. Hoekstra; Bjørn M. Jenssen; Stephen Gustav Kohler; Martin M. Larsen; Ulf Lindstrøm; Anna Lippold; Adam Morris; Jacob Nabe-Nielsen; Nynne H. Nielsen; Elizabeth Peacock; Marianna Pinzone; Frank F. Rigét; Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid; Heli Routti; Ursula Siebert; Garry Stenson; Gary Stern; Jakob Strand; Jens Søndergaard; Gabriele Treu; Gisli A. Víkingsson; Feiyue Wang; Jeffrey M. Welker; Øystein Wiig; Simon J. Wilson; Christian Sonne

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154445

A risk assessment review of mercury exposure in Arctic marine and terrestrial mammals

Rune Dietz^*, Robert J. Letcher^*, Jon Aars, Magnus Andersen, Andrei Boltunov, Erik W. Born, Tomasz M. Ciesielski, Krishna Das, Sam Dastnai, Andrew E. Derocher, Jean Pierre Desforges, Igor Eulaers, Steve Ferguson, Ingeborg G. Hallanger, Mads P. Heide-Jørgensen, Lars Eric Heimbürger-Boavida, Paul F. Hoekstra, Bjørn M. Jenssen, Stephen Gustav Kohler, Martin M. LarsenUlf Lindstrøm, Anna Lippold, Adam Morris, Jacob Nabe-Nielsen, Nynne H. Nielsen, Elizabeth Peacock, Marianna Pinzone, Frank F. Rigét, Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid, Heli Routti, Ursula Siebert, Garry Stenson, Gary Stern, Jakob Strand, Jens Søndergaard, Gabriele Treu, Gisli A. Víkingsson, Feiyue Wang, Jeffrey M. Welker, Øystein Wiig, Simon J. Wilson, Christian Sonne

^*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift/Konferencebidrag i tidsskrift /Bidrag til avis › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

Abstract

There has been a considerable number of reports on Hg concentrations in Arctic mammals since the last Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) effort to review biological effects of the exposure to mercury (Hg) in Arctic biota in 2010 and 2018. Here, we provide an update on the state of the knowledge of health risk associated with Hg concentrations in Arctic marine and terrestrial mammal species. Using available population-specific data post-2000, our ultimate goal is to provide an updated evidence-based estimate of the risk for adverse health effects from Hg exposure in Arctic mammal species at the individual and population level. Tissue residues of Hg in 13 species across the Arctic were classified into five risk categories (from No risk to Severe risk) based on critical tissue concentrations derived from experimental studies on harp seals and mink. Exposure to Hg lead to low or no risk for health effects in most populations of marine and terrestrial mammals, however, subpopulations of polar bears, pilot whales, narwhals, beluga and hooded seals are highly exposed in geographic hotspots raising concern for Hg-induced toxicological effects. About 6% of a total of 3500 individuals, across different marine mammal species, age groups and regions, are at high or severe risk of health effects from Hg exposure. The corresponding figure for the 12 terrestrial species, regions and age groups was as low as 0.3% of a total of 731 individuals analyzed for their Hg loads. Temporal analyses indicated that the proportion of polar bears at low or moderate risk has increased in East/West Greenland and Western Hudson Bay, respectively. However, there remain numerous knowledge gaps to improve risk assessments of Hg exposure in Arctic mammalian species, including the establishment of improved concentration thresholds and upscaling to the assessment of population-level effects.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Artikelnummer	154445
Tidsskrift	Science of the Total Environment
Vol/bind	829
ISSN	0048-9697
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154445
Status	Udgivet - jul. 2022

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10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154445Licens: CC BY

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Dietz, R., Letcher, R. J., Aars, J., Andersen, M., Boltunov, A., Born, E. W., Ciesielski, T. M., Das, K., Dastnai, S., Derocher, A. E., Desforges, J. P., Eulaers, I., Ferguson, S., Hallanger, I. G., Heide-Jørgensen, M. P., Heimbürger-Boavida, L. E., Hoekstra, P. F., Jenssen, B. M., Kohler, S. G., ... Sonne, C. (2022). A risk assessment review of mercury exposure in Arctic marine and terrestrial mammals. Science of the Total Environment, 829, Artikel 154445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154445

@article{c43f02f858e34bcbb0f9d0bf25b3270e,

title = "A risk assessment review of mercury exposure in Arctic marine and terrestrial mammals",

abstract = "There has been a considerable number of reports on Hg concentrations in Arctic mammals since the last Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) effort to review biological effects of the exposure to mercury (Hg) in Arctic biota in 2010 and 2018. Here, we provide an update on the state of the knowledge of health risk associated with Hg concentrations in Arctic marine and terrestrial mammal species. Using available population-specific data post-2000, our ultimate goal is to provide an updated evidence-based estimate of the risk for adverse health effects from Hg exposure in Arctic mammal species at the individual and population level. Tissue residues of Hg in 13 species across the Arctic were classified into five risk categories (from No risk to Severe risk) based on critical tissue concentrations derived from experimental studies on harp seals and mink. Exposure to Hg lead to low or no risk for health effects in most populations of marine and terrestrial mammals, however, subpopulations of polar bears, pilot whales, narwhals, beluga and hooded seals are highly exposed in geographic hotspots raising concern for Hg-induced toxicological effects. About 6% of a total of 3500 individuals, across different marine mammal species, age groups and regions, are at high or severe risk of health effects from Hg exposure. The corresponding figure for the 12 terrestrial species, regions and age groups was as low as 0.3% of a total of 731 individuals analyzed for their Hg loads. Temporal analyses indicated that the proportion of polar bears at low or moderate risk has increased in East/West Greenland and Western Hudson Bay, respectively. However, there remain numerous knowledge gaps to improve risk assessments of Hg exposure in Arctic mammalian species, including the establishment of improved concentration thresholds and upscaling to the assessment of population-level effects.",

keywords = "Biological effects, Circumpolar Arctic, Marine mammals, Mercury, Terrestrial mammals, Wildlife",

author = "Rune Dietz and Letcher, {Robert J.} and Jon Aars and Magnus Andersen and Andrei Boltunov and Born, {Erik W.} and Ciesielski, {Tomasz M.} and Krishna Das and Sam Dastnai and Derocher, {Andrew E.} and Desforges, {Jean Pierre} and Igor Eulaers and Steve Ferguson and Hallanger, {Ingeborg G.} and Heide-J{\o}rgensen, {Mads P.} and Heimb{\"u}rger-Boavida, {Lars Eric} and Hoekstra, {Paul F.} and Jenssen, {Bj{\o}rn M.} and Kohler, {Stephen Gustav} and Larsen, {Martin M.} and Ulf Lindstr{\o}m and Anna Lippold and Adam Morris and Jacob Nabe-Nielsen and Nielsen, {Nynne H.} and Elizabeth Peacock and Marianna Pinzone and Rig{\'e}t, {Frank F.} and Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid and Heli Routti and Ursula Siebert and Garry Stenson and Gary Stern and Jakob Strand and Jens S{\o}ndergaard and Gabriele Treu and V{\'i}kingsson, {Gisli A.} and Feiyue Wang and Welker, {Jeffrey M.} and {\O}ystein Wiig and Wilson, {Simon J.} and Christian Sonne",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors",

year = "2022",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154445",

language = "English",

volume = "829",

journal = "Science of the Total Environment",

issn = "0048-9697",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

Dietz, R, Letcher, RJ, Aars, J, Andersen, M, Boltunov, A, Born, EW, Ciesielski, TM, Das, K, Dastnai, S, Derocher, AE, Desforges, JP, Eulaers, I, Ferguson, S, Hallanger, IG, Heide-Jørgensen, MP, Heimbürger-Boavida, LE, Hoekstra, PF, Jenssen, BM, Kohler, SG, Larsen, MM, Lindstrøm, U, Lippold, A, Morris, A, Nabe-Nielsen, J, Nielsen, NH, Peacock, E, Pinzone, M, Rigét, FF, Rosing-Asvid, A, Routti, H, Siebert, U, Stenson, G, Stern, G, Strand, J , Søndergaard, J, Treu, G, Víkingsson, GA, Wang, F, Welker, JM, Wiig, Ø, Wilson, SJ & Sonne, C 2022, 'A risk assessment review of mercury exposure in Arctic marine and terrestrial mammals', Science of the Total Environment, bind 829, 154445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154445

TY - JOUR

T1 - A risk assessment review of mercury exposure in Arctic marine and terrestrial mammals

AU - Dietz, Rune

AU - Letcher, Robert J.

AU - Aars, Jon

AU - Andersen, Magnus

AU - Boltunov, Andrei

AU - Born, Erik W.

AU - Ciesielski, Tomasz M.

AU - Das, Krishna

AU - Dastnai, Sam

AU - Derocher, Andrew E.

AU - Desforges, Jean Pierre

AU - Eulaers, Igor

AU - Ferguson, Steve

AU - Hallanger, Ingeborg G.

AU - Heide-Jørgensen, Mads P.

AU - Heimbürger-Boavida, Lars Eric

AU - Hoekstra, Paul F.

AU - Jenssen, Bjørn M.

AU - Kohler, Stephen Gustav

AU - Larsen, Martin M.

AU - Lindstrøm, Ulf

AU - Lippold, Anna

AU - Morris, Adam

AU - Nabe-Nielsen, Jacob

AU - Nielsen, Nynne H.

AU - Peacock, Elizabeth

AU - Pinzone, Marianna

AU - Rigét, Frank F.

AU - Rosing-Asvid, Aqqalu

AU - Routti, Heli

AU - Siebert, Ursula

AU - Stenson, Garry

AU - Stern, Gary

AU - Strand, Jakob

AU - Søndergaard, Jens

AU - Treu, Gabriele

AU - Víkingsson, Gisli A.

AU - Wang, Feiyue

AU - Welker, Jeffrey M.

AU - Wiig, Øystein

AU - Wilson, Simon J.

AU - Sonne, Christian

PY - 2022/7

Y1 - 2022/7

N2 - There has been a considerable number of reports on Hg concentrations in Arctic mammals since the last Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) effort to review biological effects of the exposure to mercury (Hg) in Arctic biota in 2010 and 2018. Here, we provide an update on the state of the knowledge of health risk associated with Hg concentrations in Arctic marine and terrestrial mammal species. Using available population-specific data post-2000, our ultimate goal is to provide an updated evidence-based estimate of the risk for adverse health effects from Hg exposure in Arctic mammal species at the individual and population level. Tissue residues of Hg in 13 species across the Arctic were classified into five risk categories (from No risk to Severe risk) based on critical tissue concentrations derived from experimental studies on harp seals and mink. Exposure to Hg lead to low or no risk for health effects in most populations of marine and terrestrial mammals, however, subpopulations of polar bears, pilot whales, narwhals, beluga and hooded seals are highly exposed in geographic hotspots raising concern for Hg-induced toxicological effects. About 6% of a total of 3500 individuals, across different marine mammal species, age groups and regions, are at high or severe risk of health effects from Hg exposure. The corresponding figure for the 12 terrestrial species, regions and age groups was as low as 0.3% of a total of 731 individuals analyzed for their Hg loads. Temporal analyses indicated that the proportion of polar bears at low or moderate risk has increased in East/West Greenland and Western Hudson Bay, respectively. However, there remain numerous knowledge gaps to improve risk assessments of Hg exposure in Arctic mammalian species, including the establishment of improved concentration thresholds and upscaling to the assessment of population-level effects.

AB - There has been a considerable number of reports on Hg concentrations in Arctic mammals since the last Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) effort to review biological effects of the exposure to mercury (Hg) in Arctic biota in 2010 and 2018. Here, we provide an update on the state of the knowledge of health risk associated with Hg concentrations in Arctic marine and terrestrial mammal species. Using available population-specific data post-2000, our ultimate goal is to provide an updated evidence-based estimate of the risk for adverse health effects from Hg exposure in Arctic mammal species at the individual and population level. Tissue residues of Hg in 13 species across the Arctic were classified into five risk categories (from No risk to Severe risk) based on critical tissue concentrations derived from experimental studies on harp seals and mink. Exposure to Hg lead to low or no risk for health effects in most populations of marine and terrestrial mammals, however, subpopulations of polar bears, pilot whales, narwhals, beluga and hooded seals are highly exposed in geographic hotspots raising concern for Hg-induced toxicological effects. About 6% of a total of 3500 individuals, across different marine mammal species, age groups and regions, are at high or severe risk of health effects from Hg exposure. The corresponding figure for the 12 terrestrial species, regions and age groups was as low as 0.3% of a total of 731 individuals analyzed for their Hg loads. Temporal analyses indicated that the proportion of polar bears at low or moderate risk has increased in East/West Greenland and Western Hudson Bay, respectively. However, there remain numerous knowledge gaps to improve risk assessments of Hg exposure in Arctic mammalian species, including the establishment of improved concentration thresholds and upscaling to the assessment of population-level effects.

KW - Biological effects

KW - Circumpolar Arctic

KW - Marine mammals

KW - Mercury

KW - Terrestrial mammals

KW - Wildlife

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126887952&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154445

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154445

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35304145

AN - SCOPUS:85126887952

SN - 0048-9697

VL - 829

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

M1 - 154445

ER -

A risk assessment review of mercury exposure in Arctic marine and terrestrial mammals

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