Persistent organic pollutants in plasma and stable isotopes in red blood cells of Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas and Lepidochelys olivacea sea turtles that nest in Brazil

Highlights: • First report of levels of PCBs, OCPs and PBDEs in live sea turtles of Brazil • The POPs in female plasma of the three species were primarily PCB, DDT and HCH. • Females of C. mydas, C. caretta and L. olivacea had different foraging ecologies. • Intraspecific variations occurred for POPs and stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N). Studies of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), in sea turtles are reported, but there are still spatial data gaps worldwide. POP contamination of live female blood plasma from Caretta caretta (n = 28), Chelonia mydas (n = 31) and Lepidochelys olivacea (n = 19), which nest in Brazil and feed along the South Atlantic Ocean, was investigated. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes from red blood cells (RBC) were also evaluated to obtain information about trophic ecology. C. caretta had the highest POP concentrations, followed by L. olivacea and C. mydas. PCBs predominated in all species, and the major OCPs were the DDTs (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and derivatives) and Lindane. POPs and stable isotopes revealed intra- and interspecific variations, which reflect the high plasticity in the use of habitat and food resources, making individuals within the same population susceptible to different exposures to pollutants.