Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Eurasian otters (Luta lutra) collected from Britain in 2010: a Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) report

The Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS; http://pbms.ceh.ac.uk/) is the umbrella project that encompasses the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology’s National Capability contaminant monitoring and surveillance work on avian predators. By monitoring sentinel vertebrate species, the PBMS aims to detect and quantify current and emerging chemical threats to the environment and in particular to vertebrate wildlife. This is the first report on the findings of a collaborative study between the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) and the Cardiff University Otter Project (CUOP) in which the concentrations of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) were determined in the livers of 30 Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) found dead in 2010. The principle aim of this work was to determine the current concentrations of PBDEs accumulated by otters and whether there was any evidence of regional differences in sum PBDE concentrations. The otters that were analysed were from England and Wales and included adult and sub-adult males and females. Liver tissue was analysed using Gas Chromatograph – Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. PBDEs were present in all otters analysed, while other newer flame retardants (replacements for some of the PBDEs) were detectable in 7 of the 30 livers tested. Individual PBDE congener profiles were dominated by BDE 47 (78% of sum PBDE concentrations wet weight) with BDE 153 and BDE 100 accounting for a further 19% of the PBDE tissue load. The concentrations of ΣPBDEs measured in the present study ranged between 3 and 718 ng/g wet weight and were within the range previously reported for Eurasian otters in England & Wales, that had died between 1995 and 2005.