Novel Finding of Widespread Occurrence and Accumulation of Bisphenol A Diglycidyl Ethers (BADGEs) and Novolac Glycidyl Ethers (NOGEs) in Marine Mammals from the United States Coastal Waters

Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE)- and bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE)-based epoxy resins have a broad range of applications, including serving as inner coatings of food and beverage cans and as protective coatings in marine construction. Prior to this study, no studies had examined the occurrence and bioaccumulation of BADGEs or BFDGEs in aquatic organisms. In this study, BADGE, BFDGE, and nine of their derivatives were determined in 121 tissue (liver, kidney, blubber, and brain) samples from eight species of marine mammals collected from the U.S. coastal waters of Florida, California, Washington, and Alaska. BADGE center dot 2HCl was the predominant compound found in the majority (78.5%) of the marine mammal tissues analyzed, at concentrations of up to 2950 ng/g (wet weight (wt)) found in the liver of a sea otter from Kachemak Bay, Alaska. The measured concentrations of BADGE center dot 2HCl in marine mammals were on the order of hundreds of nanograms per gram tissue, which are some of the highest concentrations ever reported for this compound in biota. Males contained greater concentrations of BADGE center dot 2HCl than did females. BADGE center dot 2HCl also was found in the brain tissues of sea otters. Trace levels of BADGE center dot 2HCl were found in the livers of polar bears from Alaska, which suggested that BADGEs are widely distributed in the oceanic environment.