Concentrations of different heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn) were examined in the contour feathers of long-eared owl (Asio otus), little owl (Athene noctua), tawny owl (Strix aluco), barn owl (Tyto alba), Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), rook (Corvus frugilegus), hooded crow (Corvus cornix), carrion crow (Corvus corone), common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). The samples were collected from the Hortobágyi Madárpark (Bird Hospital Foundation) in Hungary. The bird species were classified into six groups based on their nourishment. Feathers were analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The aim of our study was to determine the concentration of the above-mentioned heavy metals in the six different groups and to compare them by the groups, to find a possible connection between the concentrations and the age of birds and to get some information about the heavy metal burden of the environment. The highest As concentration was measured in little owl (0.65 ± 0.56 mg/kg). The highest Cd, Cr and Pb concentration was found in the feathers of barn swallow (0.13 ± 0.06 mg/kg; 1.69 ± 0.44 mg/kg; 5.36 ± 1.46 mg/kg), while the highest Cu and Hg concentration (65.45 ± 17.66 mg/kg; 2.72 ± 1.08 mg/kg) in sparrowhawk feathers and the highest Zn concentration in owls (157.21 ± 57.3 mg/kg). Statistically significant difference has been determined between the juvenile and adult crows in the case of Cd (p = 0.011). The higher concentration was measured in adults (0.14 ± 0.04 mg/kg) than that in juveniles (0.08 ± 0.02 mg/kg). Based on our results, the examined area is not contaminated by these heavy metals on that level, which can cause any adverse effect or poisoning in birds, so this region is safe to wildlife.
The aim of the study was to determine the individual and combined toxic effects ofthe herbicide Fozát 480 (glyphosate [isopropylamine salt] 480g/l) and cadmiumsulphate (CdSO4) on the development of chicken embryos. On the first day ofincubation, chicken eggs were injected with 0.1 ml of cadmium sulphate solution(0.1%) and/or with 0.1 ml of Fozát 480 (2.0%). The chicken embryos wereexamined on the 19th day by measuring the rate of embryo mortality and bodyweight and by identification of different types of developmental anomalies andmacroscopic malformations. The body weight data were statistically evaluated byone-way ANOVA and Dunnett tests, while the embryonic mortality and thedevelopmental anomalies were analysed by Fisher test. Our teratogenicity studyrevealed, that the combined administration of cadmium sulphate and glyphosate(isopropylamine salt) containing herbicide formulation caused a significantreduction in the body weight of embryos and increased the rate of embryonicmortality. The joint toxic effect of cadmium sulphate and Fozát 480 is an additiveeffect compared to the individual toxicity of the test materials.
Concentrations of heavy metals (especially arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury and lead) were measured in the contour (body) feathers of mute swans (Cygnus olor) and in its nutrients (fragile stonewort [Chara globularis], clasping leaf pondweed [Potamogeton perfoliatus], Eurasian watermilfoil [Myriophyllum spicatum], fennel pondweed [Potamogeton pectinatus]) to investigate the accumulation of metals during the food chain. The samples (17 feathers, 8 plants) were collected at Keszthely Bay of Lake Balaton, Hungary. Dry ashing procedure was used for preparing of sample and the heavy metal concentrations were analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Copper (10.24 ± 2.25 mg/kg) and lead (1.11 ± 1.23 mg/kg) were detected the highest level in feathers, generally, the other metals were mostly under the detection limit (0.5 mg/kg). However, the concentrations of the arsenic (3.17 ± 1.87 mg/kg), cadmium (2.41 ± 0.66 mg/kg) and lead (2.42 ± 0.89 mg/kg) in the plants were low but the chromium (198.27 ± 102.21 mg/kg) was detected in high concentration.
Single and simultaneous toxic effects of glyphosate (Amega Up, 360 g/L, 4%) and copper sulphate (0.01%) were studied on avian embryos treated with injection directly into the air chamber or by immersion application for 30 minutes on day 0 of incubation. Alterations of the chicken embryos were evaluated during the necropsy performed on day 19 of incubation including the mortality, the body weight, and the type of developmental abnormalities. Based on the results, the injection application was to be more toxic than the immersion method, induced increasing of mortality and decreasing of body weight, and the incidence of the congenital anomalies was more frequent. Supposedly, an additive-type toxicodynamic interaction was occurred between the copper sulphate and glyphosate that may result in reduced vitality of the embryos and thus the number of offspring of wild-life birds.
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