Summary

Description

Concentrations of selected essential and nonessential elements, including mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, selenium, copper, zinc, and vanadium were measured in liver, kidney, and muscle tissues from 36 adult male polar bears from the Southern Beaufort Sea and the ChukchiBering Seas in Alaska. Concentrations of Hg, Se, Cd, Pb, Se, and V generally decreased in the order of kidneylivermuscle. Mercury, Se, and Cd concentrations were significantly higher in liver tissues in polar bears from the Southern Beaufort Sea Hgx 30.91 ugg dw, Sex 14.39 ugg dw, Cdx 1.42 ugg dw than the ChukchiBering Seas. Mercury, Se, and Cd concentrations were significantly higher in kidney tissues in polar bears from the Southern Beaufort Sea Hgx 63.95 ugg dw, Sex 29.1 54 ugg dw than the ChukchiBering Seas Hgx 23.68 ugg dw, Sex 15.92 ugg dw. Based on regression analysis Hg to Se ratios in polar bear liver tissues were close to 1:1 for both Alaskan populations, which suggest that Se has a role in protecting polar bears from Hg toxicity. Mercury concentrations in liver tissues of polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea were about half of those found in the Amundsen Gulf, Canada in the eastern Beaufort Sea. Hepatic levels of copper, although very high x 103.05 ugg dw, were within ranges reported from other Arctic polar bear populations. Although low, vanadium concentrations in polar bear kidneys were significantly higher in the ChukchiBering Seas x 0.871 ugg dw than in the Southern Beaufort Sea x 0.245 ugg dw.