Table 1.
Mean ± SD summed PCBs and DDTs (μg/g, lipid weight) and percent lipid (%) in the blubber of stranded and apparently healthy California sea lions in the study (n = 306).
| N | Summed PCB mean ± SD (Minimum, maximum) |
Summed DDT mean ± SD (Minimum, maximum) |
Percent lipid mean ± SD (Minimum, maximum) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex and age group (stranded sea lions)⁎ | |||||
| Adult male | 43 | 126.2a ± 218.9 (3.4, 1333.3) |
523.3a ± 878.3 (13.7, 5096.7) |
29.2 ± 22.7 (0.1, 67.8) |
|
| Adult female | 121 | 50.23b ± 120.91 (0.31, 863.7) |
161.74b ± 342.26 (0.78, 2290.5) |
31.2 ± 19.1 (0.9, 71.0) |
|
| Subadult | 25 | 26.3b ± 29.9 (0.90, 125.0) |
105.3a,b ± 104.1 (8.0, 458.3) |
38.3 ± 17.7 (3.1, 67.0) |
|
| Pup | 11 | 75.4a,b ± 112.8 (3.4, 350.0) |
368.7a,b ± 524.7 (11.4, 1400.0) |
30.7 ± 23.1 (0.1, 62.9) |
|
| Adult stranded sea lions | |||||
| Males | Cancer | 24 | 189.1 ± 273.9 (3.4, 1333.3) |
787.0 ± 1087.4 (18.0, 5096.7) |
22.0 ± 20.3 (0.1, 66.6) |
| Infectious disease | 10 | 65.1 ± 81.2 (11.4, 221.2) |
267.3 ± 360.7 (73.8, 1203.0) |
28.2 ± 22.0 (3.3, 67.7) |
|
| Other | 9 | 26.2 ± 23.3 (5.9, 68.6) |
104.4 ± 125.4 (13.6, 369.2) |
49.5 ± 18.8 (5.7, 67.8) |
|
| Females | Cancer | 44 | 93.1 ± 176.4 (0.8, 863.6) |
303.6 ± 491.9 (2.3, 2290.5) |
22.7 ± 16.2 (0.9, 71) |
| Infectious disease | 9 | 63.8 ± 57.1 (2.5, 160.0) |
163.5 ± 163.1 (8.5, 506.4) |
19.6 ± 20.4 (2.0, 49.0) |
|
| Other | 68 | 20.7 ± 60.8 (0.31, 390.0) |
69.7 ± 171.8 (0.8, 1040.1) |
38.2 ± 17.9 (0.9, 71) |
|
| Apparently healthy sea lions | |||||
| Puget sound | Adult male | 60 | 41.0 ± 49.2 (4.6, 228.1) |
26.15 ± 19.9 (6.6, 102.5) |
36.3 ± 19.4 (1.2, 65.0) |
| San Miguel Island | Adult female | 46 | 3.9 ± 4.1 (0.5, 21.7) |
10.8 ± 14.3 (1.0, 72.3) |
38.2 ± 13.7 (15.0, 72.0) |
a,bMeans with different letters in superscript are significantly different (Tukey's HSD, p < 0.05).
⁎
Analyzed for association between OC levels, age group, and sex in stranded animals.