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Abstract:In this study, we investigated whether bird feathers can be used as a non-destructive biomonitor for organic pollutants. We analysed the outermost tail feathers of 8 terrestrial and aquatic bird species from Belgium (8 species, n=108) for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). Every compound class could be quantified in one single tail feather of the birds under study (sum PCBs ranging from 5.5 to 510 ng/g feather, sum PBDEs from 0.33 to 53 ng/g feather, sum DDTs from 1.5 to 730 ng/g feather), except for PBDEs in feathers of the common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus). Further, we calculated Pearson correlations between concentrations of organic pollutants in feathers and concentrations in corresponding muscle or liver tissue from the birds. Correlations were found significant in half of the cases of the terrestrial species, but were found not significant for the aquatic species, with the exception of a significant correlation of sum PCBs in the common moorhen. Only for the common buzzard (Buteo buteo) (n=43) all correlations were found significant (0.32

Biomonitoring using birds of prey as sentinel species has been mooted as a way to evaluate the success of European Union directives that are designed to protect people and the environment across Europe from industrial contaminants and pesticides. No such pan-European evaluation currently exists. Coordination of such large scale monitoring would require harmonisation across multiple countries of the types of samples collected and analysed-matrices vary in the ease with which they can be collected and the information they provide. We report the first ever pan-European assessment of which raptor samples are collected across Europe and review their suitability for biomonitoring. Currently, some 182 monitoring programmes across 33 European countries collect a variety of raptor samples, and we discuss the relative merits of each for monitoring current priority and emerging compounds. Of the matrices collected, blood and liver are used most extensively for quantifying trends in recent and longer-term contaminant exposure, respectively. These matrices are potentially the most effective for pan-European biomonitoring but are not so widely and frequently collected as others. We found that failed eggs and feathers are the most widely collected samples. Because of this ubiquity, they may provide the best opportunities for widescale biomonitoring, although neither is suitable for all compounds. We advocate piloting pan-European monitoring of selected priority compounds using these matrices and developing read-across approaches to accommodate any effects that trophic pathway and species differences in accumulation may have on our ability to track environmental trends in contaminants.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10646-016-1636-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Keratinous tissues of mammals and humans, such as hair, have been used to determine the exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides. In the present study, we investigated the accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs; PCBs, p,p'-DDT, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane [DDD], p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene [DDE], hexachlorobenzene [HCB], oxychlordane, trans-nonachlor, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and polybrominated biphenyls [PBBs]) in feathers of the great tit (Parus major). The accumulation of POPs in feathers and fat samples of 27 adult great tits collected in April 2000 and December 2002 was compared with regard to possible temporal and spatial differences. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBBs, trans-nonachlor, and HCB could not be quantified in feathers. Most PCB congeners and DDTs (p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDD, and p,p'-DDT) could be determined in feathers, although concentrations in feathers were markedly lower (sigmaPCB concentration range, 28.2-87.1 ng/g) than concentrations in fat (sigmaPCB concentration range, 1244-10074 ng/g). Feathers had relatively higher levels of low-chlorinated PCBs (tetra- and pentachlorinated biphenyls) and p,p'-DDD compared to levels in fat, presumably reflecting levels in blood. Persistent organic pollutant concentrations did not increase with the age of the feather, suggesting that exogenous or aerial depositions of POPs onto the feather surface had no, or only minimal, influence on levels in feathers. For almost all compounds studied, POPs in feathers and fat were significantly positively correlated in samples collected during the breeding season but not in samples collected during the winter. This temporal difference may have been caused by seasonal changes in lipid reserves. Although further research is required, feathers appear to be a promising new, nondestructive biomonitor for PCBs and DDTs in avian wildlife.

Human exposure to mixtures of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may result in the formation of different profiles of hydroxylated PCBs (HO-PCBs), as a consequence of different exposures or dissimilar metabolism of parent compounds. Therefore, we investigated the levels and profiles of PCBs and HO-PCBs in human serum samples collected from two European countries with different degrees of pollution. There was no significant difference between the levels of sum PCBs measured in each set of samples, with a median concentration of 3100 pg/mL for Romanian samples (n = 53) and 3380 pg/mL for Belgian samples (n = 22). However, the median concentrations recorded for sum HO-PCBs were almost double in Belgian (310 pg/mL) compared to Romanian (175 pg/mL) samples. The detection frequency recorded for HO-PCBs in Belgian samples was also significantly higher compared to Romanian samples. The main contributors to the sum HO-PCBs in the Belgian samples were 4HO-CB107 > 4HO-CB146 > 4HO-CB187 (76% from the sum HO-PCBs) and 4HO-CB187 > 4HO-CB146 > 3'HO-CB138 (66% from the sum of HO-PCBs) in the Romanian samples. The HO-PCB profile showed that the higher chlorinated HO-PCBs had a higher contribution in the Romanian samples compared to the Belgian ones. This suggests that differences in the PCB profiles between populations can lead to the formation of different HO-PCB metabolite profiles presenting thus different risks for populations. No clear preferential mechanism of HO-PCB metabolite formation (HO-direct insertion vs. 1,2-shift of a chlorine atom) could be highlighted for investigated samples. The main chlorinated phenolic compound found in the Belgian samples was pentachlorophenol (PCP) which accounted for up to 85% of the total quantified phenolics, whereas in the Romanian samples, PCP accounted for only 35%.

Eight polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) congeners (IUPAC nos. 28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183, and 209) were measured in passerines (great tits--Parus major), wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), and bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus). These data were combined with previously obtained data on PBDEs in common buzzards (Buteo buteo), sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes). This enabled estimation of the biomagnification potential of PBDEs in the following three terrestrial food chains: great tit--sparrowhawk, small rodents--buzzard, and small rodents--fox. Biomagnification of BDE 209 could not be assessed because levels of this congener were below the LOQ in the prey species. All other congeners, except BDE 28, were biomagnified in both predatory bird species. Biomagnification of BDE 28 could not be observed from rodents to buzzard. Biomagnification factors (BMFs) were calculated as the ratio between the lipid-normalized concentrations in the predator and in the prey. BMFs ranged from 2 to 34 for the sum of PBDEs in predatory bird food chain. Although the fox is a top-predator, this is not reflected in the PBDE concentrations that were measured in its tissues. In the small rodent-fox food chain, no biomagnification could be observed. This observation is most likely related to the high metabolic capacity of the fox with regard to organohalogens and should be taken into account when selecting species for environmental monitoring purposes. Not all top-predators will give a representative reflection of the pollution of their habitat, but confounding factors, such as metabolism, can influence the results to a great extent and can therefore lead to misinterpretations.