Abstract
Total DDT burden and DDE percentage (DDE/DDT+TDE+DDE) in the blubber of fin and sei whales are highly correlated. Total DDT concentration may be an important source of variation for the DDE percentage detected in different individuals of the same population. Such a positive correlation is explained by the intensification of the dehydrochlorinative and differential excretive functions at higher pollutant levels. In the past, variations in the DDE percentage have been attributed to differences in the chronology of DDT input into the ecosystem and assumed to be indicators of population discreteness or changes in the pattern of DDT exposure of a given population. However, changes in the DDE percentage as related to total DDT burden may be important within the observed normal ranges of variation of total DDT residue levels caused by age and sex composition of the population. Therefore, the DDE percentage may be reliably used only when full control of the life history parameters of the sample is achieved and when strict homogeneity among the samples to be compared has been proved.
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