Essential trace (Zn, Cu, Mn) and toxic (Cd, Pb, Cr) elements in the liver of birds from Eastern Poland

Abstract

We have focused our study on the concentrations of essential heavy metals (Zn, Cu and Mn) and non-essential trace metals (Pb, Cd and Cr) in the livers of birds from Eastern Poland. The largest mean amount of Zn - as much as 279 mg/kg dry mass (d.m.) - was found in mute swans. However, only in one of the analysed buzzard specimens the concentration of Zn, found to be 664 mg/kg d.m., exceeded the level indicative of poisoning for this element. Birds specializing in catching rodents accumulated Mn in their livers in a very narrow range of concentrations, around 5.0 mg/kg d.m. on average. The range of mean Mn concentrations (around 6.5 mg/kg d.m.) was also found to be narrow for piscivorous birds. The highest mean levels of Pb were found in mute swans (2.7 mg/kg d.m.), and the highest levels of Cd (2.0 mg/kg d.m.) for rooks. Concentrations of total Cr above detection level were found in 22 specimens (53.7%), and concentration values were highest for rooks. Analyses showed that the concentrations of biogenic elements did not exceed the levels indicative of poisoning (except in one specimen). The study demonstrated that lead shots remain a hazard to water ecosystems. Pb, Cd and Cr levels in the livers of omnivorous and piscivorous species indicate the permanent presence of these elements in the environment and may confirm the thesis about the growing role of electronic waste, including metallic e-waste, in the emission of the total amount of contamination with these elements

Trace element concentrations in livers of Common Buzzards Buteo buteo from eastern Poland

“…In the other liver samples, Cd concentrations did not exceed the background level (3.0 μg/kg dw), and mean concentrations of this element for the examined cohorts were within the range between 0.63 and 1.23 μg/kg dw (Table 1 ). This result was consistent with other previously published data in which only a small fraction of liver Cd concentrations ≥3.0 μg/kg dw have been found (Battaglia et al, 2005 , Licata et al 2010 , Komosa et al 2012 , Carneiro et al 2014 ).…”

La contaminación por munición de plomo en Europa: el plumbismo aviar y las implicaciones en la seguridad de la carne de caza

“…Después de la prohibición del uso de pesos de plomo en la pesca en Inglaterra y Gales en 1987, se observó una disminución en la incidencia de casos de intoxicación por plomo en cisne vulgar; además la población empezó a aumentar, aunque el problema no fue erradicado por completo (Sears y Hunt 1991;Perrins et al 2003). En Polonia, Komosa et al (2012) consideran que puede existir una exposición al plomo de los perdigones en cisne vulgar en humedales de ese país en base al análisis del hígado de aves encontradas muertas o heridas, si bien no llegan a detectar casos de intoxicaciones letales.…”

Estudo da espécie Garça-Branca-Grande Ardea alba (Linnaeus, 1758), para uso como bioindicadora da contaminação ambiental, na região metropolitana de São Paulo

“…Nossos valores (na base úmida) também estão abaixo da concentração de Bulbucus ibis de Tamil Nadu na Índia (Jayakumar e Muralidharan, 2011). A concentração de Cu de Ardea alba da RMSP está acima da concentração de fígados de Ardea alba modesta do Japão (Honda et al, 1986), de Egretta Garzetta e Ardeola grayii da Índia (Jayakumar e Muralidharan, 2011), e de ardeídeos da Polônia (Komosa et al, 2012).…”

“…Apesar de ser um elemento essencial, a demanda de Mn para pássaros não é alta (Kalisinska et al, 2004). Altas concentrações de Mn em garças são originadas da dieta (Horai et al 2007, Komosa et al, 2012. Malik e Zeb (2009) Mn para garças não são conhecidos (Malik e Zeb, 2009).…”

“…O nível de concentração de Mn em fígados de Ardea alba da RMSP é da mesma ordem de grandeza de Ardea alba do Japão que é considerada alta e de Ardea cinerea, em Hodaka no Japão (Horai et al, 2007), e está acima das concentrações de ardeídeos da Polônia (Komosa et al, 2012). A concentração (2,78±1,17 mg kg -1 base úmida) está abaixo das de Ardea alba modesta (3,47 mg kg -1 base úmida), também da…”