Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are keystone and sentinel species in the world's oceans. We studied correlations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their stress axis. We investigated associations between plasma biomarkers of 12 different PFAS variants and three cortisol pools (total, bound, and free) in wild T. truncatus from estuarine waters of Charleston, South Carolina (n = 115) and Indian River Lagoon, Florida (n = 178) from 2003 to 2006, 2010-2013, and 2015. All PFAS and total cortisol levels for these dolphins were previously reported; bound cortisol levels and free cortisol calculations have not been previously reported. We tested null hypotheses that levels of each PFAS were not correlated with those of each cortisol pool. Free cortisol levels were lower when PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS biomarker levels were higher, but free cortisol levels were higher when PFTriA was higher. Bound cortisol levels were higher when there were higher PFDA, PFDoDA, PFDS, PFTeA, and PFUnDA biomarkers. Total cortisol was higher when PFOA was lower, but total cortisol was higher when PFDA, PFDoDA, PFTeA, and PFTriA were higher. Additional analyses indicated sex and age trends, as well as heterogeneity of effects from the covariates carbon chain length and PFAS class. Although this is a cross-sectional observational study and, therefore, could reflect cortisol impacts on PFAS toxicokinetics, these correlations are suggestive that PFAS impacts the stress axis in T. truncatus. However, if PFAS do impact the stress axis of dolphins, it is specific to the chemical structure, and could affect the individual pools of cortisol differently. It is critical to conduct long-term studies on these dolphins and to compare them to populations that have no or little expose to PFAS.

In this article the affiliation details for Baylin J. Bennett, Thomas D. Brewer and Lora E. Flemming were incorrectly given as 'European Centre for the Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro Cornwall TR1 3HD, UK, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35233 and Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, Building 233, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia' but should have been 'Baylin J. Bennett (Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35233), Thomas D. Brewer (Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, Building 233, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia) and Lora E. Flemming (European Centre for the Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro Cornwall TR1 3HD, UK). The original article has been corrected.