Publications by authors named "Alice Bartalini"
Blue shark score among the most abundant, widely distributed and worldwide consumed elasmobranchs. In this work contents of PCBs, PCDD/Fs and PBDEs were studied by means of GC-HRMS in muscle and liver of sixty blue sharks from the North East Atlantic sampled in 2019. Concentrations relatively similar were found for PCBs and PCDD/Fs in comparison with those in Atlantic specimens from the same area sampled in 2015.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis review summarizes the most relevant information on PBDEs' occurrence and their impacts in cetaceans at global scale, with special attention on the species with the highest reported levels and therefore the most potentially impacted by the current and continuous release of these substances. This review also emphasizes the anthropogenic and environmental factors that could increase concentrations and associated risks for these species in the next future. High PBDE concentrations above the toxicity threshold and stationary trends have been related to continuous import of PBDE-containing products in cetaceans of Brazil and Australia, where PBDEs have never been produced.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The Cuvier's beaked whale, a little-known species, has seen its Mediterranean subpopulation classified as Vulnerable due to decreasing numbers and threats such as chemical pollution.
- A study sampled about 20% of this population to assess ecotoxicological conditions, focusing on contaminants like PCBs and PBDEs and their effects on the whales' health.
- Results showed alarming contamination levels, especially in adult males, with 80% of whales exceeding toxicity thresholds, highlighting the urgent need to address anthropogenic pressures threatening their survival in the Mediterranean.