Progress on the Impact of Persistent Pollutants on Marine Turtles: A Review

The review examines the most recent advances on the effect of persistent pollutants on sea turtles. Research on this topic is still limited, especially that related to toxicity, since they are protected species and in vivo toxicity studies are difficult, with most studies carried out on deceased individuals. Besides toxicology, the review considers direct links to pollution sources, reproduction impact, health effects and biomarkers of pollution exposure. Little attempts have been made so far to gather data that would provide insight into the causes of the observed health trends. Considering this, studies correlating PPs accumulation with health parameters were also discussed. The review synthesizes the recent progress of the research on these topics and indicates the main urgent need of investigation to limit threats from anthropic pressure.

Automated summary

The review summarizes the recent advances in studying the impact of persistent pollutants on sea turtles. Limited research has been conducted due to the protected status of sea turtles and difficulties in studying toxicity in vivo. The review covers various aspects including toxicology, pollution sources, reproduction impact, health effects, and biomarkers of pollution exposure. The urgent need for further investigation to understand the causes of observed health trends and mitigate the threats from human activities is highlighted.