Toxic Metals and Selenium in Blood from Pilot Whales (Globicephala melas) and Sperm Whales (Physeter catodon)

Mercury, lead, cadmium and selenium were measured in blood from pilot whales (Globicephala melas) caught at the Faroe Islands and in blood from four sperm whales (Physeter catodon) stranded in Denmark. The median whole-blood concentration of mercury in pilot whales was 229 μg/l with a positive correlation to the corresponding selenium concentrations. Blood concentrations of mercury and cadmium up to 2421 and 31 100 μg/l, respectively, were found in the sperm whales. Cadmium concentration averaged 500–1000 times higher in stranded sperm whales than in the pilot whales. The mercury and cadmium concentrations dramatically exceed levels which are associated with severe toxicity in several other mammal species.