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Encyclopedia of Aquatic Ecotoxicology pp 151–168Cite as

Beluga Whales and Ecotoxicity

  • Reference work entry

Synonyms

Beluga ecotoxicology

Glossary

Aromatic (Syn: aryl):

Compounds made of stable rings of atoms. Ring stability is conferred by the atoms composing the rings sharing electrons.

Coal Tar Pitch Volatile:

Fused polycyclic hydrocarbons which are volatilized when coal, petroleum (excluding asphalt), wood, and other organic compounds are distilled.

CYP Enzymes:

Enzymes involved in the degradation of foreign molecules but also in the synthesis and degradation of normal hormones such as steroids.

DDT:

Insecticide used since World War II. Still permitted under the Stockholm Convention but banned in Canada and the USA since early 1970s. Employed to reduce malaria incidence but at the same time accumulated in the tissues of top predators, causing the decline of many species of birds of prey.

Immunosuppressive:

That impairs immune functions.

Lipophilic:

“Fat loving.” Compounds which are highly soluble in fat (and poorly soluble in water).

Lymphocytes:

White blood cells which play a very...

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Acknowledgments

I am deeply grateful to Dr Stephane Lair to have shared his data and for his invaluable support in this work. I am very thankful to colleagues Drs. Sylvain DeGuise, Igor Mikaelian, and André Dallaire for their tremendous support and contributions. Many thanks to Pierre Béland (INSEL), Robert Michaud (GREMM), Lena Measures, and Véronique Lesage (DFO) for discussions and documentation. Many thanks also to all the veterinary students who helped throughout these years in the postmortem examinations. I thank François Boudreault and Nathalie Gratton of Environment Canada for assistance with figures. Various organizations have contributed to the funding of this work over the last 30 years: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, World Wildlife Funds, Park Canada, and others.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montreal, 3200 Sicotte, St. Hyacinthe, QC, Canada

    Daniel Martineau

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  1. Daniel Martineau
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Correspondence to Daniel Martineau .

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  1. Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Environnements Continentaux (LIEC), Université de Lorraine, Metz, France

    Jean-François Férard

  2. Aquatic Ecosystem Protection Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Environment Canada, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Christian Blaise

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Martineau, D. (2013). Beluga Whales and Ecotoxicity. In: Férard, JF., Blaise, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Aquatic Ecotoxicology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5704-2_15

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