Evaluation of PCDD/Fs, dioxin-like PCBs and PBDEs in sperm whales from the Mediterranean Sea A. Bartalini a , J. Muñoz-Arnanz b, ⁎, L. Marsili a , S. Mazzariol c , M.C. Fossi a , B. Jiménez b a Department of Environmental, Earth and Physical Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, Siena, Italy b Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Organic Chemistry, CSIC. Juan de la Cierva, 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain c Department of Public Health, Comparative Pathology and Veterinary Hygiene, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy HIGHLIGHTS • dl-PCBs ranking at the top of the re- ported values for this species worldwide • Mediterranean Sea still today a global PCB “hotspot” for marine mammals • Non-ortho-dl-PCB pattern (126 N 169 N 77) • TEQ contribution: Σnon-ortho-dl-PCBs N Σortho-dl-PCBs N PCDDs N PCDFs GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT abstract article info Article history: Received 26 July 2018 Received in revised form 31 October 2018 Accepted 31 October 2018 Available online 03 November 2018 Editor: Damia Barcelo Numerous studies to date have reported concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in dif- ferent marine mammal species worldwide. Yet data on sperm whales are scarce from rich and unique biodiverse areas such as the Mediterranean Sea. This work aimed to assess levels of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorodibenzo- p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) in blubber of sperm whales stranded along the Italian coast between 2008 and 2016. POP mean concentrations (dl-PCBs: 6410 ng/g l.w.; PBDEs: 612 ng/g l.w.; PCDD/Fs: 57.8 pg/g l.w.) were mostly in line with what has been previously reported on the same species in the Mediterranean environment and tended to be higher than those reported from other geographical regions. The relative abundance followed the order dl-PCBs N PBDEs ≫ PCDD/Fs. Interestingly, the non-ortho dl-PCB pattern (126 N 169 N 77) was similar to that described in other studies worldwide and different from what is described in its main prey. This could be linked to particular metabolic ac- tivities in sperm whales against these highly toxic contaminants. Total TEQs ranged from 275 to 987 pg/g l.w. and showed the pattern Σnon-ortho-dl-PCBs N Σortho-dl-PCBs N PCDDs N PCDFs, with PCBs' contribution about 96%. These findings highlight the high abundance of PCBs still found in the Mediterranean environment despite having been banned for decades. All sperm whales analyzed in this study surpassed the threshold of 210 pg WHO-TEQ/g l.w. proposed as starting point of Keywords: POPs Pollution TEQ Cetaceans Physeter macrocephalus Dioxin-like Science of the Total Environment 653 (2019) 1417–1425 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: juan.ma@iqog.csic.es (J. Muñoz-Arnanz). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.436 0048-9697/© 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Science of the Total Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenv