ABSTRACT
Concern for the well-being of marine mammals leads many to ask the question, “how are marine mammals exposed to and affected by toxicants?” This chapter considers some of the challenges marine mammals face by virtue of their marine habitat, their place within the food web, and their physiological and biochemical adaptations to life in the sea. Their place in marine ecosystems as predators (eating invertebrates, fish, and in some cases even other marine mammals) may result in a magnification of exposure (biomagnification) to some toxicants from both marine and terrestrial sources. At the same time their physiological and biochemical adaptations to diving and ocean living may provide them with interesting ways to respond to those challenges. This chapter discusses some of the toxicants marine mammals can be exposed to, common routes of exposure, some examples of toxicant effects, and describes some of the ways marine mammals may respond (e.g., elimination, detoxification, chemical sequestration), emphasizing the influence of their marine lifestyle and adaptations.
