Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - and their hydroxylated metabolites-induced changes in cetaceans found stranded in Philippine waters - Linking ecotoxicological, biomarker and histopathological approaches

• Main Author: Bondoc, Jonah L.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2013
• Subjects: Marine pollution—Philippines; Marine mammals—Effect of pollution on—Philippines; Marine mammals—Stranding—Philippines; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/6653
• Institution: De La Salle University

Accepted as one of the best sentinels in monitoring the health of the oceans and humans, marine mammals have been utilized to indicate habitat conditions, impacts of human interactions to marine populations, and chemical toxicity. Being at the top of the food chain, exposure of these charismatic mega fauna to anthropogenic contaminants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PVBs) in unequivocal. While international scientific evidence provides correlating pollutant residues in tissues of marine mammals with immunosuppression, carcinogenicity, developmental abnormalities, and endocrine disruption, there is no current research being conducted for an in-depth toxicological account of cetaceans found stranded in Philippine waters. The high frequency of annual stranding events, data reporting detectable concentrations of PCBs in different environmental media and high incidence of cetacean consumption in the country can be maximized as bases for an ecotoxicological, biomarker and histopathological research, this four-tier dissertation research aims to (1) elucidate PCBs and hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) residue levels using gas chromatography/mass/spectrometry(GC/MS), (2) examine the structural changes (using histopathology), (3) analyze vitamin A (retinol) and thyroid hormone levels using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and (4) evaluate vitamin A’s potential as biomarker of PCB & OH-PCB contamination and structural effects in cetaceans found stranded in Philippine waters, (2) educate our locals of possible human health impacts of cetacean consumption, and (3) present scientific data which will initialize development of cetacean ecotoxicological protocols in the Philippines.