Use of homing pigeons as biomonitors of atmospheric metal concentrations in Beijing and Guangzhou, China

Abstract

Biomonitoring provides direct evidence of the bioavailability and accumulation of toxic elements in the environment and in the current study, homing pigeons were used as a biomonitor of atmospheric pollution in Beijing and Guangzhou, China. Cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) concentrations were measured in lung, kidney, and liver tissues of 25 homing pigeons collected from Beijing (n = 15) and Guangzhou (n = 10). Cadmium concentrations in all tissue and lung Pb concentrations were significantly greater in pigeons collected from Guangzhou compared to those collected from Beijing. Lung Cd and Pb concentrations corresponded to differences in ambient air concentrations between the two cities, suggesting that homing pigeons are valuable biomonitors of atmospheric metal contamination. Liver and kidney Hg concentrations were significantly greater in pigeons collected from Beijing compared to those collected from Guangzhou, while Hg concentrations in lung tissue were not significantly different. Results of the current study support a conclusion that homing pigeons provide valuable data for evaluating exposure and potential effects to environmental metal concentrations.

CONTENIDO DE PLOMO, CADMIO Y ARSÉNICO EN TEJIDOS BIOLÓGICOS DE LA PALOMA COMÚN (Columba livia) PRESENTES EN UN ÁREA URBANA PREVIAMENTE CONTAMINADA CON RESIDUOS MINEROS

“…A partir de esto se puede inferir que la contaminación a la que están expuestas las palomas ha sido permanente en el tiempo (Valladares et al 2013). Sin embargo, como se observa en el cuadro II, hay lugares en el mundo donde se han encontrado concentraciones mucho más altas de este metal en hueso de palomas, como España (Antonio-García et al 1988) e Inglaterra (Hutton y Goodman 1980), así como en China en otros tejidos, como pulmón (Cui et al 2016(Cui et al , 2018.…”

“…Por otro lado, se estima que las palomas pueden ser bioindicadores importantes de contaminación ambiental, por lo que se plantea la necesidad de desarrollar un programa de monitoreo basado en la presencia y concentración de polimetales en 1.702 ± 1.26 (n = 29) 11.695 ± 8.38 (n = 29) Este trabajo *μg/g de peso seco, excepto en sangre; **μg/L palomas. Sin embargo, es necesario incluir otros elementos químicos en el análisis, como zinc, cobre y mercurio, así como otros tejidos como plumas, ya que éstas son el tejido más externo y el primero en entrar en contacto con contaminantes (Abdullah et al 2015), y pulmones, que son los primeros órganos en recibir las partículas contaminantes respirables (Cui et al 2016).…”

An examination of the effect of aerosolized Permanone insecticide on zebra finch susceptibility to West Nile virus

“…In addition, the present study provides an example of the capacity of neurotoxicants such as pyrethroids to alter immune function, supporting the need for integrated multisystem assessments. Finally, it should be noted that exposure to inhaled contaminants in wildlife is an understudied topic, despite the uncharacterized risk and utility of birds as biosentinels of air quality for humans . Further work in method development for the assessment of inhalation exposure to environmental toxicants as mists, particulates, or vapors in a physiologically diverse set of model avian species would allow for a quantitative characterization of the risk and development of inhalation‐based toxicity reference values for this highly valued group of species.…”

Use of Spilopelia senegalensis as a Biomonitor of Heavy Metal Contamination from Mining Activities in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)

“…HMs produced through natural and anthropogenic ways can enter birds through direct inhalation, dermal contact, ingestion, and other routes [10]. In this context, pigeons have been suggested as valuable biomonitors and have been utilized in the assessment of atmospheric metal contamination in China [11].…”