Progress and status of research on polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) in dolphins

The progress and status of research on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in dolphins were reviewed in this paper since 1970s. The review focused on the following five aspects: the ways of PCBs getting into and eliminating from dolphin body, the distribution characteristics and the distribution difference of PCBs in dolphin tissues, the distribution characteristics the of PCBs among female, male and offspring dolphin and the transfer PCBs from female to offspring, the impacts of different environment conditions on PCBs concentrations and congener composition in dolphin, and the harmful effect of PCBs on dolphin. The authors point out that the effects of PCBs on marine ecosystem will continue for a long time, and the long-term effect of PCBs on marine mammal in the coastal waters should be further studied.