Avian feathers as a non-destructive bio-monitoring tool of trace metals signatures: A case study from severely contaminated areas

Abdullah, Muhammad Tahir; Fasola, Mauro; Muhammad, Aish; Malik, S. A.; Bostan, Nazish; Bokhari, Habib; Kamran, Muhammad; Shafqat, Mustafa Nawaz; Alamdar, Ambreen; Khan, Mudassar Nawaz; Ali, Nadeem; Eqani, Syed Ali Musstjab Akber Shah

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.06.068

Cited by 164 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…(Table.1).The highest concentrations of Mn in the urban samples were detected in down feathers. The levels of Mn reported in the study are comparable to the levels reported by [14] in Bubulcusibis (21 μg/g), by [28] in Ardea cinerea (9.90±3.62 μg/g), and in Egretta garzetta The study confirms the hypothesis that analyzing metal contents in feathers provide reliable method in monitoring environmental contamination. In the present analysis certain toxic metals like mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead has not reached the toxic level.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

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2018

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ABSTRACT:The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) is one of the most common birds found in the urban environment. The population of house sparrow living in nest colonies near to human habitats is now threatened by pollutants. Knowledge of toxicological residue studies in house sparrow is still in dearth. The primary goal of present study is to understand if we are providing adequate habitat for the fauna or attracting harm that may be detrimental to individuals and population overtime. Use of bird as bio monitors is one of the effective methods in quantifying the overall health of ecosystem. Aim of the present study is to determine the level of heavy metal accumulated in the down feather of house sparrow. High level of Calcium, chromium, Iron and magnesium detected in down feathers of young sparrow shows external contamination from anthropogenic sources which cannot be ruled out.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Chromium concentrations observed in the present study are relatively higher compared to the levels reported by other studies in the Indian subcontinent [14]. The high levels of Cr observed in the samples exceeding the threshold of 2.8 μg/g [10] could be linked to the anthropogenic source of contamination.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 76%

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2018

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“…Determination of the elemental composition of feathers may be a promising tool not only for ecotoxicological purposes, but also for tracking avian migration. The use of feathers for monitoring has the advantage of being a non-invasive sampling technique (Kim and Oh 2014;Abdullah et al 2015) that can be easily repeated (Adout et al 2007). During their period of growth, feathers are connected to blood-vessels, and the metals supplied by food may be built into the feather keratin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elemental composition in feathers of a migratory passerine for differentiation of sex, age, and molting areas

Óvári

Laczi

Török

et al. 2016

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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AcknowledgmentsThe authors would like to thank Tamás Weiszburg for the SEM/BSE measurements performed at the Department of Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Eötvös Loránd University.The assistance of Tamás Szigeti, MSc and Gergely Tarsoly, MSc provided in the microwaveassisted digestion of feathers is also appreciated. Keywords: breeding, elemental distribution, habitat, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, laser ablation, migratory birds, rare earth elements.3 HighlightsAmong the 38 elements investigated, toxic elements (i.e. Ni, Cd, Hg and Pb) occurred in more than the 55% of the tail feather of the collared flycatchers at the µg/g level.Differentiation between sex, age and molting areas of the collared flycatcher was possible by determination of feather elemental composition.Time-resolved distribution of major elements along the rachis of feathers by laser ablation ICP-SF-MS and normalization of the intensities to 13 C/ 34 S signals.4

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“…Exposure to toxic metals is a great concern at local, regional and global levels due to their well-known adverse effects on the structural and functional integrity of an ecosystem (Abdullah et al 2015). General population is usually exposed involuntarily to trace metals through food, water intake and contact with soil, dust and/or air (Ibanez et al 2008;Azizullah et al 2011, Musharraf et al 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, several environmental and biological degradations have been reported from Pakistan as a result of rapid industrialization, urbanization and exponential population growth (Abdullah et al 2015;Khan et al 2014). However, in Pakistan, the data on the effects of environmental contaminants including trace metals, pesticides, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxic metals signature in the human seminal plasma of Pakistani population and their potential role in male infertility

Zafar

Eqani

Bostan

et al. 2014

Environ Geochem Health

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Aims of this study were to provide firsthand data on the incidence of trace metals in human seminal plasma and find possible correlations between levels of toxic metals and semen quality of Pakistani population. Human semen samples were collected from male partners of couples undergoing infertility assessment at the National Institute of Health Islamabad (Pakistan). We investigated seventy-five seminal plasma samples, which were further categorized into three groups (normozoospermia, oligozoospermia and azoospermia) according to WHO guidelines. The concentration of 17 different toxic metals in human seminal plasma was determined simultaneously by using Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Out of 17 trace metals, Cd and Ni showed significant difference (p < 0.05) among three monitored groups. Ni and Cd concentrations in the seminal plasma were negatively correlated with sperm concentration (r = -0.26, -0.29) and motility (r = -0.33, -0.37), respectively. This study suggested that exposure of Ni and Cd is mainly related with the consumption of contaminated dietary items, including ghee (cooking oil), flour and other agri-products. In some semen samples, the concentrations of Sn, V, Cu, Pb, Cr and Hg exhibited high levels suggesting a recent human exposure to surrounding sources. In Pakistani human semen samples, the levels of trace metals were lower and/or comparable to that found in populations of other countries. The results show the first evidence of the effect of toxic metals on semen quality and male infertility in Pakistan.

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Avian feathers as a non-destructive bio-monitoring tool of trace metals signatures: A case study from severely contaminated areas

Cited by 164 publications

References 57 publications

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Elemental composition in feathers of a migratory passerine for differentiation of sex, age, and molting areas

Toxic metals signature in the human seminal plasma of Pakistani population and their potential role in male infertility

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