Metabolomic profiles of the endangered St. Lawrence Estuary beluga population and associations with organohalogen contaminants

The endangered beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) population residing in the St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE; Eastern Canada) is declining. The elevated tissue concentrations of a wide range of organohalogen contaminants might play a role in the non-recovery of this whale population. Organohalogens have been reported to impair the regulation of several metabolic products from cellular reactions in mammals such as amino acids and fatty acids. The objective...