PFAS in Northern Elephant Seal Milk and Plasma, 14 Mother-Pup Pairs

A 2026 study by Kara M. Joseph analyzed PFAS burdens in northern elephant seals using LC-IMS-HRMS. The dataset includes quantitative measurements from plasma of 14 mother-pup pairs and milk from 9 mothers, identifying 27 PFAS compounds. Concentrations in milk and pup plasma exceeded relevant human-based exposure thresholds, indicating pronounced early-life accumulation.

Use Cases

• Modeling lactational PFAS transfer based on matched mother-pup plasma and milk concentration data.
• Assessing early-life contaminant accumulation based on PFAS concentrations in weaned pup plasma.
• Investigating contaminant profiles linked to shared foraging grounds based on pair-specific exposure patterns.
• Comparing PFAS burdens across biological matrices (plasma and milk) within the same individuals.

Strengths

• Data originates from a targeted study using a non-targeted LC-IMS-HRMS analytical platform.
• Includes measurements from 14 matched mother-pup pairs and milk samples from 9 mothers.
• Quantitatively identified 27 PFAS compounds across all sample matrices.
• Findings are specific, such as weaned pup plasma having an average ∑16 PFAS concentration of 89.08 ng/mL.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is small (52.5 KB), indicating limited scope and sample size.

Provenance

Source

Kara M. Joseph, published on figshare.

Collection Method

Samples analyzed using liquid chromatography, ion mobility spectrometry, and high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-IMS-HRMS).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-01 19:05:50; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Study focuses on northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris), likely from their natural habitat.