Organochlorine Compounds and Their Metabolites in Seven Icelandic Seabird Species - a Comparative Study

Abstract

The present study is designed to assess the occurrence of a few organochlorine contaminants and their metabolites in eggs of different marine bird species in Iceland, a country located in the sub-Arctic of the North-Western Atlantic. Previous investigations from e.g. Sweden and The Netherlands have shown some obvious differences in contaminant concentrations, including e.g. hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyl metabolites (OH-PCBs) in guillemot (Uria aalge) and other bird species. Eggs from seven marine bird species, Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea), common eider (Somateria mollissima), guillemot, fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), great black-backed gull (Larus marinus), lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), and great skua (Stercorarius skua), that all breed in Iceland, were collected and analyzed for several persistent organic compounds and their metabolites. The contaminant levels varied between the species investigated. The highest concentrations were found in eggs from the great skua (18 and 23 microg/g l.w. of CB-153 and 4,4'-DDE, respectively). The concentration difference was generally 2 orders of magnitude higher in great skua for all organochlorine compounds analyzed with the exception of HCB. HCB did not vary as much between the seven species (ranging from 34 to 710 ng/g l.w). OH-PCB and MeSO(2)-PCB metabolites congener concentrations and patterns showed differences in metabolic capacity between bird species. Guillemot and great skua seem to distinguish themselves most from other species i.e. with the absence of 4-OH-CB187 and low relative levels of 4-OH-CB146 in guillemot and the low abundance of OH-PCBs in great skua.

Levels and trends of industrial chemicals (PCBs, PFCs, PBDEs) in archived herring gull eggs from German coastal regions

“…Our findings regarding the predominance of CB-153 confirm the results of numerous other studies (e.g., [5,[60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69] [67], and in eggs of the great black-backed gull (Larus marinus, 420 to 3,400 ng/g lw) and lesser blackbacked gull (Larus fucus, 770 to 3,000 ng/g lw) from Iceland in 2003 [69]. All these data are in good accordance with our findings: In the same time span (2001 to 2004), CB-153 ranged between 1,290 and 3,550 ng/g lw in herring gull eggs from Mellum and between 2,300 and 4,300 ng/g lw in eggs from Trischen.…”

“…All these data are in good accordance with our findings: In the same time span (2001 to 2004), CB-153 ranged between 1,290 and 3,550 ng/g lw in herring gull eggs from Mellum and between 2,300 and 4,300 ng/g lw in eggs from Trischen. Much lower CB-153 levels, i.e., 250 to 400 ng/g lw, were reported for guillemot eggs from different sites in Iceland, Faroe Islands, and Norway between 2002 and 2005 [64,65,69] and from eggs of the common eider (Somateria mollissima) from Iceland and three Norwegian sites (37 to 450 ng/g lw) in 2003 and 2004 [67,69]. These lower values reflect not only different environmental contamination, but also species-specific differences in feeding habits and metabolisms as reported by Jörundsdóttir et al [69] for seven seabird species from Iceland where metabolite patterns and CB-153 concentrations varied strongly between species (i.e., 150 to 18,000 ng CB-153/g lw).…”

“…In lesser black-backed gulls from Iceland, total PCBs (sum of 12 congeners) amounted to 6,000 ng/g lw in 2003 [69]. High median concentrations are reported for eggs of ivory gulls (Pagophila eburnea) from the Russian and Norwegian Arctic regions (sum of 28 congeners 16,000 to 45,500 ng/g lw) in 2006 [71] and for eggs of the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus tundris) from South Greenland (sum of 22 congeners 55 μg/g lw = 55,000 ng/g), sampled between 1986 and 2003 [72].…”

Organochlorine Pesticides in Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis Linnaeus, 1761) from the Coast of Eastern Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands

“…It is important that in areas contaminated by OCPs, birds are particularly sensitive to other groups of chemical toxicants. Thus, the presence of DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene) disguises the effect of the negative effects of mercury on reproduction of birds (Rovinskii et al, 1990;Jorundsdottir et al, 2010).A number of experiments managed to identify critical concentrations of OCPs in the brain of birds. Lethal doses of pesticides are specific for each species and fall within the range from 4 (for the Japanese quail and yellow cres) to 65 mg/kg (for sparrows) (Tanabe, 2007).…”

“…It is important that in areas contaminated by OCPs, birds are particularly sensitive to other groups of chemical toxicants. Thus, the presence of DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene) disguises the effect of the negative effects of mercury on reproduction of birds (Rovinskii et al, 1990;Jorundsdottir et al, 2010).…”