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Article: Fireproof killer whales (Orcinus orca): flame-retardant chemicals and the conservation imperative in the charismatic icon of British Columbia, Canada (1).
- Article from:
- Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
- Article date:
- January 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 NRC Research Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Abstract: Long-lived and high trophic level marine mammals are vulnerable to accumulating often very high Concentrations of persistent chemicals, including pesticides, industrial by-products, and flame retardants. In the case of killer whales (Orcinus orca), some of the older individuals currently frequenting the coastal waters of British Columbia (BC) were born during the First World War, well before the advent of widespread chemical manufacture and use. BC's killer whales are now among the most polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated marine mammals in the world. While the "legacy" PCBs have largely been banned, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have recently ...