Tissue-specific accumulation and body burden of chlorinated, brominated, and fluorinated contaminants in sea turtles from Korean coastal waters

Few studies have been conducted on the accumulation of chlorinated, brominated, and fluorinated contaminants in sea turtles. In this study, legacy and emerging persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were measured in various organs and tissues of loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles obtained via stranding or bycatch along the Korean coast. All POPs were detected in organs and tissues of both turtle species. The detected concentrations of all POPs were higher in loggerhead sea turtles than green sea turtles, indicating that trophic level consistently affects POP accumulation. Chlorinated and brominated contaminants primarily accumulated in fat and muscle, whereas PFASs were concentrated in the liver. Longer-chain carboxylates, and F-53B (a PFOS alternative) were found in turtles, indicating growing concern as emerging PFASs. To our knowledge, this report is the first to estimate the body burden of POPs in sea turtles.