@article {221,
	title = {Declining concentrations of chlorinated paraffins in endangered St. Lawrence Estuary belugas (Delphinapterus leucas): Response to regulations or a change in diet?},
	journal = {Sci Total Environ},
	year = {2023},
	month = {2023 Jan 07},
	pages = {161488},
	abstract = {<p>Very high levels of industrial contaminants in St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE) beluga whales represent one of the major threats to this population classified as endangered under the Species at Risk Act in Canada. Elevated concentrations of short-chained chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) were recently reported in blubber of adult male SLE belugas. Recent regulations for SCCPs in North America, combined with their replacement by medium- (MCCPs) and long-chained chlorinated paraffins (LCCPs), highlight the importance of tracking this toxic chemical class. The objectives of this study were to evaluate (1) levels and profiles of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in samples obtained from carcasses of adult male, adult female, juvenile, newborn, and fetus beluga, and (2) trends in adult male belugas between 1997 and 2018. Factors potentially influencing CP temporal trends such as age, feeding ecology and sampling year were also explored. SCCPs dominated (64 to 100 \%) total CP concentrations across all age and sex classes, MCCPs accounted for the remaining proportion of total CPs, and LCCPs were not detected in any sample. The chlorinated paraffin homolog that dominated the most in beluga blubber was CCl. Adult male SCCP concentrations from this study were considerably lower (\&gt; 2000-fold) than those recently reported in Simond et al. (2020), likely reflecting a previously erroneous overestimate due to the lack of a suitable analytical method for SCCPs at the time. Both SCCPs and total CPs declined over time in adult males in our study (rate of 1.67 and 1.33 \% per year, respectively), presumably due in part to the implementation of regulations in 2012. However, there is a need to better understand the possible contribution of a changing diet to contaminant exposure, as stable isotopic ratios of carbon also changed over time.</p>},
	issn = {1879-1026},
	doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161488},
	author = {Simond, Antoine {\'E} and Ross, Peter S and Cabrol, Jory and Lesage, V{\'e}ronique and Lair, St{\'e}phane and Woudneh, Million B and Yang, Diwen and Peng, Hui and Colbourne, Katerina and Brown, Tanya M}
}
@article {145,
	title = {Suspect and Nontarget Screening Revealed Class-Specific Temporal Trends (2000-2017) of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances in St. Lawrence Beluga Whales.},
	journal = {Environ Sci Technol},
	year = {2021},
	month = {2021 Jan 14},
	abstract = {<p>The global use of \&gt;3000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has given rise to chemical regulatory action. However, limited information exists regarding current and historical emissions for the majority of PFASs under currently implemented regulations. This study employed suspect and nontarget screening to examine the temporal trends of legacy and unregulated PFASs in liver of the endangered beluga whale () population from the St. Lawrence Estuary in Canada collected from 2000 to 2017. A suite of 54 PFASs were tentatively identified, and were grouped into nine structurally distinct classes. Single-hydrogenated perfluoro carboxylic acids (H-PFCAs), single-hydrogenated sulfonamides (H-Sulfonamides), as well as other select sulfonamides were detected for the first time in wildlife. Greater concentrations of the majority of PFASs were determined in newborns and juveniles than in adults, suggesting effective placental and lactational transfer of PFASs. Legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl acids and perfluorooctane sulfonamide in beluga whale liver were found to significantly decrease in concentration between 2000 and 2017, while unregulated short-chain PFAS alternatives, H-PFCAs, and odd-chain FTCAs were found to increase over time. The implementation of suspect and nontarget screening revealed class-specific temporal trends of PFASs in SLE beluga whales, and supported continuous emissions of unregulated PFASs into the environment.</p>},
	issn = {1520-5851},
	doi = {10.1021/acs.est.0c05957},
	author = {Barrett, Holly and Du, Xuan and Houde, Magali and Lair, St{\'e}phane and Verreault, Jonathan and Peng, Hui}
}
