Environmental contaminants in redheads wintering in coastal Louisiana and Texas

Abstract

Whole body and liver analyses indicated that wintering redheads (Aythya americana; n = 70) in coastal Louisiana (one site) and Texas (two sites) were relatively free of contamination with common trace elements, organochlorines, and hydrocarbons. Most trace elements, including As, Cr, Hg, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, and Zn, were within background concentrations in livers; levels of B, Cd, Cu, and Fe were elevated in some specimens. Only one organochlorine, DDE, was detected in redhead carcasses, but its concentration was below reported toxic levels in waterfowl. Body burdens of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons were generally low, but levels of pristane, total hydrocarbons, and the ratios of phytane:n-octadecane and pristane:n-heptadecane were indicative of possible chronic exposure to petroleum. Based on brain cholinesterase assays, redheads were not recently exposed to organophosphorous or carbamate pesticides. Of 30 elements or compounds tested for seasonal differences, only Se increased from early to late winter at one of the three sites. Eight of 57 contaminants differed among the three sites; no sex or age differences were found.

Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon and PAH Metabolite Burdens in Oiled Common Guillemots (Uria aalge) Stranded on the East Coast of England (2001−2002)

“…This suggests that liver PAH/metabolite burdens in oiled guillemots are proportional to the degree of external oiling (% coverage). This conflicts with observations for plasma PAH/metabolite burdens in oiled guillemots where no relationship with oil score was reported (15). This is probably due to the fact that these lipophilic compounds bioaccumulate in liver due to the higher lipid content of this tissue compared to plasma, thereby representing longer term PAH exposure.…”

“…There are few studies of PAHs burdens in extensively oiled (covered with oil) sea birds as a direct result of oil spills and these only report external PAH burdens determined in residues collected from oiled feathers (14) and plasma PAHs concentrations determined by immunoassay, providing total PAH, not compound-specific data (15). This is the first study of liver burdens of PAHs in heavily oiled common guillemots showing acute symptoms of oiling (severe dehydration, hypothermia, etc.).…”

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, trace elements, and monooxygenase activity in birds nesting on the North Platte River, Casper, Wyoming, USA

“…Total PAHs in lesser scaup ( Aythya af‐finis ) from Indiana Harbor Canal, USA, varied from 0.12 to 0.16 μg/g wet weight [5]. Redhead ducks ( Aythya americana ) collected in southern Texas, USA, and Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana, USA, had mean PAH concentrations of 0.03 μg/g wet weight [24]. Total PAH concentrations in wild juvenile common eider ducks ( Somateria mollissima ) from the Baltic Sea were 0.0045 μg/g wet weight [4].…”

“…The ratio was elevated in western sandpipers ( Calidris mauri ) collected at oilfield brine discharge sites (2.3 [26]) and double‐crested cormorants ( Phalacrocorax auritus ) collected in the Houston Ship Channel, Houston, Texas, USA (1.6‐3.6 [27]), locations contaminated with petroleum. The pristane: n ‐C 17 ratio was not elevated (0.2) in redhead ducks collected in southern Texas and Louisiana [24].…”

Organic contamination in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nestlings at United States and binational Great Lakes Areas of Concern

“…Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a listed contaminant of concern in some AOCs and have been measured in avian tissue; adverse physiological and genotoxic responses to PAHs have been reported . Because PAHs are quickly metabolized in vertebrates and generally below detection limits in tissues, they are difficult to link to exposure or toxicity .…”