Halogenated organic contaminants and their correlations with circulating thyroid hormones in developing Arctic seabirds Original Research Article

Thyroid hormones are essential for normal growth and development and disruption of thyroid homeostasis can be critical to young developing individuals. The aim of the present study was to assess plasma concentrations of halogenated organic contaminants (HOCs) in chicks of two seabird species and to investigate possible correlations of HOCs with circulating thyroid hormone (TH) concentrations. Plasma from black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) chicks were sampled in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard in 2006. The samples were analyzed for thyroid hormones and a wide range of HOCs (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hydroxylated (OH −) and methylsulphoned (MeSO −) PCB metabolites, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs)).