Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41817745›Full record

ArticleArchives of environmental contamination and toxicology2026

Tracking Contaminant Trends: PFAS, Metals and Metalloids in Indo-Pacific Bottlenose (Tursiops aduncus) and Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) from South Australia.

Rebecca Souter, Damian Lettoof, Catherine Kemper, Lucy Woolford, Anne-Lise Chaber, Luciana Möller, Sam Gaylard, Ikuko Tomo, Mike Bossley, Gavin Stevenson and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Rebecca SouterSchool of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, SA, Australia. rebecca.souter@adelaide.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3864-6686
Damian LettoofBiota Environmental Sciences, West Perth, WA, Australia.
Catherine KemperSchool of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Lucy WoolfordSchool of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, SA, Australia.
Anne-Lise ChaberSchool of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, SA, Australia.
Luciana MöllerCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia.
Sam GaylardEnvironment Protection Authority, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Ikuko TomoSouth Australian Museum, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Mike BossleyWhale and Dolphin Conservation, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Gavin StevensonNational Measurement Institute, North Ryde, NSW, Australia.
Anu KumarCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Urrbrae, SA, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), metals, and metalloids were analysed in liver of 42 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) and 28 common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) from South Australia (SA). Dolphins sampled between 1993 and 2015 (20 T. aduncus) were screened for eleven PFAS, while those sampled between 2021 and 2023 (22 T. aduncus and 28 D. delphis) were analysed for twenty-nine PFAS, and eighteen metals and metalloids. Twenty-one PFAS were identified overall, with PFOS comprising ~ 80% of ∑PFAS. Average ∑PFAS concentrations were similar among T. aduncus and D. delphis during 2021-2023. ∑PFAS was significantly higher in Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary (ADS) T. aduncus (0.4-5.2 compared to < 2.7 mg/kg ww elsewhere). A decreasing trend in ∑PFAS, primarily driven by PFOS, was observed over time. A preliminary risk assessment based on tentative critical concentrations and hazard quotients indicated a reduced potential risk of adverse effects from PFOS exposure over time. Reductions may be due to regulatory efforts. ADS T. aduncus also exhibited significantly higher lead (0.13-1.9 mg/kg dw) and tin (0.15-1.1 mg/kg dw). In other SA regions, a low Selenium: Mercury ratio in 50% of T. aduncus, alongside Hg concentrations up to 2350 mg/kg dw, highlights a toxicity concern. This study is unique in being the first in Australia to report changes in hepatic PFAS in dolphins over time. It underscores the importance of contaminant load reassessments to understand bioaccumulation. Findings will help to understand contaminant threats to human, wildlife, and environmental health.

Indexed as

Bottle-Nosed DolphinCommon DolphinsEnvironmental MonitoringFluorocarbonsMetalloidsMetalsWater Pollutants, ChemicalAnimalsLiverSouth AustraliaFluorocarbonsMetalloidsMetalsWater Pollutants, Chemical

Identifiers

PMID41817745
PMCPMC12982273

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.