Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Global Assessment Of Gold, Titanium, Strontium And Barium Pollution Using Sperm Whales (Physeter Macrocephalus) As An Indicator Species, John Pierce Wise Sr., W. Douglas Thompson, Sandra S. Wise, Carolyne Lacerte, James Wise, Christy Gianios Jr., Christopher Perkins, Tongzhang Zheng, Lucille Benedict Phd, Michael D. Mason, Roger Payne, Iain Kerr

Department of Chemistry

This study provides a global baseline for barium, gold, titanium and strontium as marine pollutants using the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) as an indicator species. Barium, gold, titanium and strontium are metals that are little studied in marine environments. However, their recent emergence as nanomaterials will likely increase their presence in the marine environment. Moreover, nanosized particles are likely to exhibit toxic outcomes not seen in macrosized particles. Biopsies from free ranging sperm whales were collected from around the globe. Total barium levels were measured in 275 of 298 sperm whales tested for barium and collected from 16 regions around …