Mutagenicity studies on herring gulls from different locations on the great lakes. II. Mutagenic evaluation of extracts of herring‐gull eggs in a battery of<i>in vitro</i>mammalian and microbial tests

Ja, Ellenton; Mf, McPherson; Kl, Maus

doi:10.1080/15287398309530430

Cited by 12 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 16 publications

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“…The average rate of SCE/chromosome for the six colonies ranged from 0.069 to 0.101, but no significant differences were found among any of the colonies. Additional testing was carried out (24) …”

Section: Congenital Anomalies and Cytogenetic Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxicological Investigations of Pollutant-Related Effects in Great Lakes Gulls

Peakall¹,

Fox²

1987

Environmental Health Perspectives

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Reproductive failure of a number of fish-eating birds was observed on the Great Lakes in the mid-1960s to mid-1970s. The herring gull (Larus argentatus) has been used as the primary monitoring species. The low hatching success observed in this species on Lake Ontario in the mid-1970s was due to loss of eggs and failure of eggs to hatch. Egg exchange experiments demonstrated that this was due both to the incubation behavior of adults and to direct embryotoxic effects. Decrease of nest attentiveness was demonstrated using telemetered eggs, but attempts to reproduce the embryonic effects by injection of pollutant mixtures into eggs were not successful.Reproductive success improved rapidly during the late 1970s and was normal by the end of the decade. Recent studies have focused on cytogenetic and biochemical changes and detailed analytical chemistry of residues. No changes in the rate of sister chromatid exchange over values determined in coastal colonies were observed. Elevation of hepatic aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity, levels of highly carboxylated porphyrins, and changes of thyroid function have been found. The geographic pattern of these changes indicates that they are caused by xenobiotics, but it has not been possible to relate the changes to a specific chemical.The objectives of this case study are to examine the toxicological approaches used (both field and laboratory experiments and their interaction) and assess their value as tools for wildlife toxicological investigations. Early StudiesThe first study of the possible interaction of pesticides with herring gulls (Larus argentatus) was carried out by Keith (1) in 1964 as part of wider investigation of organochlorines in the Lake Michigan ecosystem (2). Keith found that the overall fledging success was low (0.3-0.4 young per nest). Embryonic mortality was exceptionally high (30-35%), and chick survival was below normal. Residue levels of DDT and its metabolites were measured, but in this pre-PCB era only the measurement of DDE can be considered reliable (3).In Canada the starting point was a visit in 1970 by Gilbertson to several small, artificial islands off Hamilton Harbour, Ontario, where common terns (Sterna hirundo) were nesting. Gilbertson (4) describes what he saw as follows: "As I wandered about, I soon noticed that something was fundamentally wrong with the colony. While some young of varying age were found in the nests, the eggs in most had failed to hatch. On examining one of these eggs, I found that the young chick had died before it could completely crack open the shell. Several other eggs contained dead embryos. At

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Section: Congenital Anomalies and Cytogenetic Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxicological Investigations of Pollutant-Related Effects in Great Lakes Gulls

Peakall¹,

Fox²

1987

Environmental Health Perspectives

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Investigation of the hepatic mixed‐function oxidase system in herring gull embryos in relation to environmental contaminants

Boersma

Ellenton

Yagminas

1986

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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We measured hepatic enzyme activity in 25‐d embryos from eight colonies in the Great Lakes and one relatively uncontaminated colony in the Bay of Fundy. This was done to further investigate the use of the mixed‐function oxidase system of herring gull (Larus argentatus) embryos for bioeffects monitoring. The changes in ethoxyresorufin o‐dealkylation (ERoD) and the rate of aminopyrene‐N‐demethylation (APDM) across the Great Lakes were small. However, the rate of aniline hydroxylation (AnH) was significantly depressed in seven of eight colonies when compared with control colony. This suppression was greatest in embryos from the three colonies in Lake Ontario, where mirex levels were highest. Organochlorines were measured in egg homogenates from each colony. There was a significant negative correlation of the rate of APDM with both polychlorinated biphenyl and hexachlorobenzene levels and also of the rate of AnH with mirex levels. In conjunction with the above, an egg injection experiment using three doses each of hexachlorobenzene and mirex was conducted to elucidate these compounds' effects on the enzymes measured. The effects on body weight, liver weight and enzyme activity were small compared with the mortality incurred in the eggs injected with hexachlorobenzene. The embryonic LD50 for hexachlorobenzene was calculated as 4.3 ppm. Mortality in the controls injected with 1,4‐dioxane was 20%, and that of eggs injected with mirex was similar to that of controls.

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