Pilot Assessment of Status and Trends of Persistent Chemicals in Marine Mammals
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are present in marine mammals living in all five OSPAR Regions. Toothed-cetaceans and some subpopulations of pinnipeds present moderate to high ranges of PCB concentrations, often surpassing the estimated toxicity thresholds for the onset of reproductive incapacity. The ranges of PCB concentrations of baleen whales are always below the estimated toxicity thresholds.