Résumés
Résumé
Le béluga de l’estuaire du Saint-Laurent (ESL) est une espèce menacée de disparition. L’une des causes contribuant à la précarité de cette population serait liée à son exposition à des composés chimiques toxiques. Cet article de revue collige l’information publiée dans la littérature scientifique sur la contamination des bélugas de l’estuaire du Saint-Laurent par les polluants organiques persistants (POP). Il discute des paramètres et processus qui influencent les concentrations et des tendances temporelles de la contamination observées chez cette population. Enfin, cet article évalue les forces et les limites d’un suivi de la contamination chez le béluga du SL en tant qu’espèce sentinelle de la contamination de son habitat. Entre 1980 et 2007, plus de 20 articles scientifiques ont rapporté la présence de divers POP chez le béluga de l’ESL. Les biphényles polychlorés (BPC) ainsi que le dichlorodiphényltrichloroéthane (DDT) et ses produits de transformation ont été les composés les plus fréquemment rapportés dans les tissus du béluga de l’ESL. La très grande majorité des analyses de contaminants organiques persistants a été réalisée sur des tissus provenant de carcasses de bélugas échouées sur les rives de l’estuaire du Saint-Laurent. Pour les POP dont l’usage est réglementé au Canada, incluant les BPC et le DDT, la contamination du béluga de l’ESL est soit décroissante ou stagnante. Cependant, pour certains composés émergents, notamment les polybromodiphényles éthers, les concentrations doublent à tous les 2-3 ans dans le gras du béluga de l’ESL. Les concentrations et des tendances temporelles de la contamination observées chez cette population sont cependant influencées par plusieurs facteurs dont le sexe et l’âge des animaux ainsi que la période durant laquelle ils ont été exposés aux POP. La qualité et la représentativité des tissus analysés ainsi que certains changements dans les méthodes d’analyses chimiques peuvent affecter les concentrations de POP mesurées chez le béluga. Le programme des carcasses de bélugas de l’ESL constitue un outil précieux pour caractériser la contamination des bélugas par les POP et en évaluer les tendances temporelles. Le béluga de l’ESL ne peut être considéré comme un bon indicateur de la décontamination des POP qui prévalent dans son habitat mais il doit être considéré comme une espèce sentinelle de la présence de POP bioaccumulables en émergence dans son habitat.
Mots clés:
- Contamination,
- mammifère marin,
- béluga,
- Saint-Laurent,
- POP,
- BPC,
- PBDE,
- tendance temporelle
Abstract
The population of beluga from the St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE) is a wildlife species threatened with extinction. One of the possible causes explaining the current status of the population is its exposure to toxic chemicals. This review paper gathers the published data on the contamination of the SLE belugas by persistent organic pollutants (POP). Parameters and processes influencing the concentrations and the temporal trends of POPs in SLE belugas are discussed. The paper also presents the strengths and limits of monitoring contaminants in the SLE belugas for the population itself and as a sentinel species of its habitat. Between 1980 and 2007, more than 20 scientific papers have reported the presence of a variety of POP in the SLE belugas. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites have been the most frequently reported POP in SLE belugas. Most chemical analyses have been done on beluga tissues collected from stranded carcasses. Concentrations of POP that have been regulated in Canada, including PCB and DDT, are decreasing or stable in SLE belugas. However, concentrations of polybrominated diphenyls ethers, an emerging chemical used as flame retardant, are doubling every 2-3 years in beluga blubber. Concentrations and temporal trends of POP in SLE beluga are influenced by several factors such as the age and sex of animals as well as the time period of their exposure. The quality and the representativeness of samples analyzed or changes in analytical methods can also affect concentrations of POP measured in beluga. In addition, regulations on the use of POP but also changes in beluga diet have affected the exposure of beluga to POP in time. The SLE carcass program has been essential in collecting samples and complementary information on beluga in order to characterize POP contamination and temporal trends in this population. Belugas should not be considered as a good bioindicator species of the decrease of POP in its habitat, but they should be considered as a sentinel species of the presence of bioaccumulative emerging POP entering its habitat.
Keywords:
- Contamination,
- marine mammals,
- beluga,
- St. Lawrence,
- POP,
- PCB,
- PBDE,
- temporal trend
Parties annexes
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