ABSTRACT
A poison is any substance that, when ingested, inhaled, absorbed, applied to, injected into, or developed within the body, in relatively small amounts, may cause damage to body structure or disturbance of function (Fowler, 1993). Clinical and diagnostic toxicology utilizes a variety of techniques to determine the role a “poison” has in producing an adverse effect on health (i.e., mortality event, disease, low recruitment). This expertise is commonly used in human and domestic animal disease investigations, and is very dependent on data generated from related research activities. With respect to marine mammals, specific diagnostic toxicology expertise and supporting research are severely lacking. An understanding of chemical absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion is limited for most species of marine mammals. However, a pharmacokinetic model was recently proposed for hydrophobic agents, based on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and belugas (
Delphinapterus leucas
) (Hickie et al., 1999). Reviews of chemicals and their effects on marine mammals include O’Shea (1999), Reijnders et al. (1999), and Vos et al. (in press). However, other than chemical residue data, limited information is available, especially on effects.
