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At least 775 records · Page 43Linked to original sources
USGS1982

Use of blood levels to infer carcass levels of contaminants

Inferences may be made about the carcass levels of a contaminant based on the contaminant level in blood samples. A method is given for comparing such populations that utilizes bivariate normal distributions and their principal axes, thereby avoiding a dilemma arising from the use of regression techniques. Confidence intervals and power calculations are given. Data from captive barn owls provide partial justification for the use of this method.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1990

Selenium accumulation and elimination in mallards

Selenium accumulation and loss were measured in adult mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ) fed selenomethionine during two experiments. In Experiment 1, both sexes were fed a diet containing 10 ppm selenium for 6 weeks, followed by 6 weeks on untreated feed. Selenium accumulation in liver and muscle of females was described by C=A(1−e −bt ). Concentrations of selenium were predicted to reach 95% of equilibrium faster in liver (7.8 days) than in muscle (81 days). The loss of selenium from liver and muscle of females was described by the exponential loss rate equation: C=Ae −bt , with half-times of 18.7 and 30.1 days, respectively. Males reached similar levels of selenium in liver and breast muscle as females and declined to similar levels once selenium treatment ended. In Experiment 2, females were fed increasing levels of selenium until some died. Survivors were switched to an untreated diet and selenium was measured in blood, liver, and breast muscle over 64 days. The same equation as in Experiment 1, C=Ae −bt , was used to describe the loss of selenium from blood and muscle. Halftimes were 9.8 and 23.9 days, respectively. For liver, the equation C C = A 1 e − b 1 t + A 2 e − b 2 t "> = A 1 e −b 1 t + A 2 e −b 2 t was used. Selenium initially decreased in liver by one-half in 3.3 days, with subsequent half-times of 3.9, 6.0, and 45.1 days.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1990

Behavioral indicators of sublethal toxicity in rainbow trout

Four measures of behavior-spontaneous swimming activity, swimming capacity, feeding behavior, and vulnerability to predation-were assessed as indicators of sublethal toxicity in rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) in 96-hr exposures to sublethal concentrations of six agricultural chemicals: carbaryl, chlordane, dimethylamine salt of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-DMA), tributyl phosphorotrithioate (DBF 1), methyl parathion, and pentachlorophenol. After exposures, behavioral changes consistently demonstrated sublethal toxicity, but effects on specific behaviors varied with contaminants and their concentrations were altered by the water quality criterion concentration for chlordane (2 μg/L), and at a concentration of DEF (5 μg/L) that had previously been shown to inhibit growth and survival after a 90-day exposure. Feeding behavior was inhibited most by exposure to DEF, 2,4-DMA, and methyl parathion. Vulnerability to predation was heightened most by exposure to carbaryl and pentachlorophenol. Although all chemicals inhibited spontaneous swimming activity, only carbaryl, DEF, and 2,4-DMA influenced swimming capacity.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1990

Acid precipitation and food quality: Inhibition of growth and survival in black ducks and mallards by dietary aluminum, calcium and phosphorus

In areas impacted by acid precipitation, water chemistry of acidic ponds and streams often changes, resulting in increased mobilization of aluminum and decreased concentration of calcium carbonate. Aluminum binds with phosphorus and inhibits its uptake by organisms. Thus, invertebrate food organisms used by waterfowl may have inadequate Ca and P or elevated Al for normal growth and development. Acid rain and its effects may be one of the factors negatively impacting American black ducks ( Anas rubripes ) in eastern North America. One-day old mallards ( A. platyrhynchos ) and black ducks were placed on one of three Ca:P regimens: low:low (LL), normal:normal (NN), and low:high (LH) with each regimen divided further into three or four Al levels for 10 weeks. Forty-five % of the black ducks died on nine different diets whereas only 28% of the mallards died on three different diets. Mortality was significantly related to diet in both species. Growth rates for body weight, culmens, wings, and tarsi of both species on control diets exceeded those on many treatment diets but the differences were less apparent for mallards than for black ducks. Differences among treatments were due to both Ca:P and A1 levels.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1990

Effect of pH on the accumulation kinetics of pentachlorophenol in goldfish

The kinetics of accumulation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) at various pH values were investigated to explore how pH-dependent accumulation might influence PCP toxicity. Goldfish (Carassius auratus) were exposed to 5 μg PCP/L in a static system buffered with 7.5 mM bicine or N,N -bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-aminoethane sulfonic acid (BES) at pH 7.0, 8.0, or 9.0. The amount of PCP in the fish, concentration of PCP in water, and the total amount of metabolites in the system were measured after exposure of fish from 1 to 96 hr. Equations for these variables based on a two compartment pharmacokinetic model were fitted simultaneously to the data using NONLIN, which uses an iterative nonlinear least squares technique. Uptake clearance, metabolic clearance, and apparent volume of distribution of PCP decreased as pH increased. The decrease in PCP accumulation with increased pH was not due solely to a pH-induced decrease in uptake. In addition, the distribution of PCP within the fish was altered by changes in the external pH. The pH-associated changes in distribution may have altered access of PCP to sites of metabolism, thereby altering the metabolic clearance. The pH-related changes in the pharmacokinetics of PCP resulted in a decrease in its bioconcentration factor with an increase in pH and account both for the decreased capacity of the fish to accumulate PCP and for its reduced LC50.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1983

Lead accumulation and depression of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) in young birds fed automotive waste oil

The effects of a 3-week dietary exposure to automotive waste crankcase oil (WCO) were examined in 1-week-old mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ) ducklings and pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus ) chicks. Treatment groups consisted of birds exposed to 0.5, 1.5, or 4.5% WCO, to 4.5% clean crankcase oil (CCO), or untreated controls. In both species, red blood cell ALAD activity was significantly inhibited after one week by 50 to 60% in the 0.5% WCO group and by 85 to 90% in the 4.5% WCO group due to the presence of lead. Growth, hematocrit, and hemoglobin were not significantly affected at the end of three weeks. Plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity was higher in mallards after three weeks of ingesting either 4.5% WCO or 4.5% CCO, suggesting an oil-related effect due to components other than lead. Treatment had no effect on plasma concentration of uric acid, glucose, triglycerides, total protein, or cholesterol. Lead analysis showed the WCO to contain 4,200 ppm Pb and the CCO to contain 2 ppm. Tissues of mallards were examined for accumulation of lead and the order of accumulation at the end of three weeks was kidney > liver > blood ∼ brain.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1990

Selenium in wetlands and waterfowl foods at Kesterson Reservoir, California, 1984

Kesterson Reservoir (Kesterson) received subsurface agricultural drainwater containing high levels of salts and selenium from farmland in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The accumulation of selenium in wetlands and waterfowl foods at Kesterson was investigated during May, August, and December of 1984. High concentrations of selenium were found in water, sediments, terrestrial and aquatic vegetation, and aquatic insects. Mean selenium concentrations in aquatic plants and insects ranged from 1.5 to 170 (μg/g dry weight and were about 11 to 290 times those found at a nearby reference site. Concentrations in some waterfowl food plants and insects at Kesterson were up to 64 times those reported to be a health hazard to birds. Selenium concentrations were more seasonally variable in aquatic plants than in aquatic insects. Few differences in selenium accumulation were found among ponds. Deposition of selenium in plant parts was not uniform; rhizomes contained higher concentrations than seeds and leaves were intermediate. Most biota bioaccumulated maximum selenium concentrations that were 1,000 to nearly 5,000 times the concentration in the water.

California↗
USGS1988

Lead poisoning in six captive avian species

Red-winged blackbirds ( Agelaius phoeniceus ), brown-headed cowbirds ( Molothrus ater ), common grackles ( Quiscalus quiscula ), mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ), northern bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus ), and eastern screech-owls ( Otus asio ) were poisoned with a concentration of lead (Pb) acetate in the diet which was increased by 60% each week until half of the birds in each treatment group died; surviving birds and all control birds except screech-owis were then killed by euthanasia. An additional group of mallards was poisoned with Pb shot. The gizzards of mallards poisoned either way usually were stained with bile; some of these birds also had proventricular impaction. Most poisoned birds of the other species were emaciated but lacked other gross lesions caused by Pb poisoning. In birds other than mallards, Pb poisoning could not be diagnosed without histological or hematological examinations or analysis of tissues. Poisoned birds of all six species could be reliably separated from control birds by an increase in the protoporphyrin concentrations in the blood and by a decrease in the activity of delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) in red blood cells. Hepatic iron (Fe) concentrations varied so much among individual birds that even though median hepatic Fe concentrations increased in poisoned birds, hepatic Fe concentrations were not useful in identifying poisoned birds. Renal intranuclear inclusion bodies occurred in 83% of all birds dying from Pb poisoning. Nephrosis, myocardial necrosis, and arterial fibrinoid necrosis were occasionally present. Median hepatic Pb concentrations varied from 20 ppm (wet wt) in male red-winged blackbirds to 111 ppm in female northern bobwhites. Median renal Pb concentrations varied from 22 ppm in redwinged blackbirds to 190 ppm in female northern bobwhites. Hepatic and renal Pb concentrations varied substantially among birds within each species. Median hepatic and renal Pb concentrations of birds that died were not statistically different ( p > 0.05) from those of birds that were killed. Lead shot and Pb acetate affected mallards similarly.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1982

Effects of lindane, paraquat, toxaphene, and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid on mallard embryo development

The effects were determined of externally treating mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ) eggs with two insecticides (lindane and toxaphene) and two herbicides (paraquat and 2,4,5-T) with formulations and concentrations similar to field applications. Paraquat was the most embryotoxic of the four compounds regardless of the type of vehicle. The LC50 for paraquat was 1.5 lb of active ingredient/ acre in aqueous emulsion and 0.1 lb/acre in the oil vehicle. The other compounds had LC50's that were several orders of magnitude higher. Both paraquat and toxaphene caused some mortality at 1/2 of the field level of application. Paraquat impaired growth and was slightly teratogenic at 1/2 of the field level of application, but required higher concentrations (1.5 to 3 times the field level) to produce brain and visceral defects. Lindane was teratogenic, resulting in multiple defects but only at doses that were greater than five times the field level of application. Toxaphene resulted in defects of the joints at doses close to or exceeding the LC50. The herbicide 2,4,5-T resulted in few toxic effects and relatively few abnormal survivors with gross defects. The overall embryotoxicity with either vehicle was paraquat > lindane > toxaphene > 2,4,5-T on a lb per acre basis. However the potential hazard at exposures of up to five times the field level of application was paraquat > toxaphene; neither lindane nor 2,4,5-T constituted much of a hazard. Both paraquat and lindane were more toxic on a lb-peracre basis when administered in oil vehicle but only paraquat represented a potential hazard at five times the field level of application.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1986

Effects of environmental contaminants on snapping turtles of a tidal wetland

Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) were collected from a brackish-water and a nearly freshwater area in the contaminated Hackensack Meadowlands of New Jersey and an uncontaminated freshwater area in Maryland to determine the effects of environmental contaminants on a resident wetland species. No turtles were observed or caught in the Meadowlands at two trapping sites that were the most heavily contaminated by metals. Snapping turtles from the brackish-water area had an unusually low lipid content of body fat and reduced growth compared to turtles from the fresh-water areas in New Jersey and Maryland. Despite the serious metal contamination of the Hackensack Meadowlands, the metal content of kidneys and livers from New Jersey turtles was low and not greatly different from that of the Maryland turtles. Organochlorine pesticide concentrations in body fat were generally low at all three study areas. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) concentrations in fat were highest in male turtles from the New Jersey brackish-water area. Analysis of blood for amino-levulinic acid dehydratase, albumin, glucose, hemoglobin, osmolality, packed cell volume, total protein, triglycerides, and uric acid failed to reveal any differences among groups that would indicate physiological impairment related to contaminants.

Maryland, New Jersey↗
USGS1986

Cholinesterase activity in black-crowned night-herons exposed to fenthion-treated water

Fenthion, ( 0,0 -Dimethyl 0 -[3-methyl-4-(methylthio)phenyl] phosphorothioate), a widely used mosquito control agent, has caused wildlife mortality. To simulate a shallow wetland environment, an exposure chamber was used containing water treated with fenthion at 1 and 10 times the field application rate of 112 g active ingredient (AI)/ ha. This system permitted an evaluation of exposure routes and the effects of fenthion in a representative species of wading bird, the black-crowned night-heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax ). The results suggested that herons received only a dermal exposure, and that their brain acetylcholinesterase activity was not significantly inhibited. In contrast, however, plasma butyrylcholinesterase activity was inhibited, suggesting the herons were exposed to the insecticide. The application rates and types of exposures were not life-threatening in this species.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1987

Survival of striped bass larvae and yearlings in relation to contaminants and water quality in the upper Chesapeake Bay

This study was designed to evaluate survival of striped bass yolk-sac larvae and yearlings at three locations in their natural spawning habitat in the upper Chesapeake Bay (Chesapeake and Delaware Canal) using “in-situ” chambers; correlate larval and yearling survival with the presence of 11 water quality parameters, 10 inorganic contaminants and 21 organic contaminants and assess histological effects on yearlings after exposure to habitat water. The cumulative percent survival ranged from 42–59.5% for striped bass larvae after 96 hr of exposure to habitat water during two experiments. Survival in control conditions during these two experiments was 77.5 and 80.5%. Data from previous studies have shown that mortality rates for wild yolk-sac larvae ranged from 7–19% per day. Daily mortality of larvae in the present study was 13–16%; therefore, suspected acutely harmful water quality or contaminant conditions affecting survival were not substantiated. All yearling striped bass survived 10 days of exposure to habitat water. Although habitat water was not acutely toxic, histological examination of surviving yearling striped bass indicated sublethal effects. Telangiectases (lamellar dilations) of the gills was reported for yearlings exposed to habitat water. This pathological change was not found in the controls.

Delaware, Maryland↗
USGS1987

Persistence of DDT and metabolites in wildlife from Washington State orchards

Residues of the DDT group, particularly p,p′-DDT (DDT) were detected in high or unusual amounts in some wildlife samples collected in fruit orchards near Wenatchee, Washington from 1979 to 1983. Samples of birds contained p,p′ -DDE (DDE) and DDT in ratios (DDE:DDT) as low as 2.6:1 in eggs and 1.9:1 in brains. An unexpectedly high number (about 50%) of some samples, such as fat of adult waterfowl, contained unusually low DDE:DDT ratios (≤10:l). At the lower sensitivity level (0.01 μg/g), 96% of the samples contained DDE and 46% contained DDT. From about 1946 to 1970, technical DDT was applied at very high rates to orchards in Washington (56 to 73 kg/ha/yr); some areas probably received 5≥1000 kg/ha over this period. Considerable wildlife mortality from DDT was documented during the period of intensive use, but only one DDT-related mortality was recorded during this study. The possible origin of the residues is discussed. Occurrence of DDT and its metabolites in resident wildlife and its food indicates continuing contamination that probably originates largely from past legal applications in the orchard system.

Washington↗
USGS1987

Effects of oral doses of fluoride on nestling European starlings

Nestling European starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris ), raised and fed by free-living adults, were given daily oral doses of either distilled water, 193 mg sodium as Na 2 CO 3 per kg of body weight (sodium control group), or 6, 10, 13, 17, 23, 30, 40, 80, 160 mg of the fluoride ion as NaF in distilled water per kg of body weight (mg/kg). Dosing began when nestlings were 24–48 hr old and continued for 16 days. The 24-hr LD 50 of fluoride for day-old starlings was 50 mg/kg. The 16-day LD 50 was 17 mg/kg. The sodium control group did not differ from the water control group with respect to any of the measured variables. Growth rates were significantly reduced in the 13 and 17 mg of fluoride/kg groups; weights of birds given higher dose levels were omitted from growth comparisons because of high, fluoride-induced mortality. Although prefledging weights for the 10, 13, and 17 mg of fluoride/kg groups averaged 3.6 to 8.6% less than controls at 17 days, this difference was not significant. Feather and bone growth of the fluoride and control groups were not different, except for keel length measured at 17 days of age which averaged less in the fluoride groups. Liver and spleen weights were not affected by fluoride treatments. No histological damage related to fluoride treatments was found in liver, spleen, or kidney. The logarithm of bone fluoride and magnesium concentration increased with the logarithm of increasing fluoride treatment levels and were significantly correlated with each other. Fluoride treatments had no effect on percent calcium or phosphorus in bone or plasma alkaline phosphatase activity. Oral doses of fluoride appear to be more toxic than equivalent dietary levels. Most birds probably acquire fluoride through their diet. Therefore, the results of the study may overstimate the potential effects of fluorides on songbirds living in fluoride-contaminated environments.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1980

Reproduction and residue accumulation in black ducks fed toxaphene

Three sets of 15 pairs of black ducks ( Anas rubripes ) were given 0, 10, or 50 ppm toxaphene in a dry mash diet for a period of 19 months, which included two breeding seasons. Survival of adults was not affected, but the weights of treated males were depressed during the summer months. Egg production, fertility, hatchability, eggshell thickness, growth, and survival of young did not vary with toxaphene ingestion in either breeding season. However, the mean number of days required to complete a clutch was lower in birds fed toxaphene than in birds on the control diet. Clutches of hens fed 50 ppm toxaphene showed improved hatching success in the second year of the study. Carcass wet-weight (70% moisture) residues in adults and the young birds averaged from 50 to 100% of the dietary concentration (7% moisture); egg residues showed a similar trend. Carcass residues did not reflect those found in the livers or brains of the adults, which seldom exceeded 0.5 ppm. Toxaphene residues were found in the brain of only one 10 ppm bird, but were present in nearly all of the 50 ppm birds. Toxaphene residues were present in the liver all all birds ingesting toxaphene.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1991

Acid precipitation and food quality: Effects of dietary Al, Ca and P on bone and liver characteristics in American black ducks and mallards

American black ducks ( Anas rubripes ) and mallards ( A. platyrhynchos ) were fed diets varying in concentrations of aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P) for 10 weeks to identify toxic effects of Al under conditions representative of areas with acid precipitation. Femur and liver tissues were analyzed for Al, Ca, and P concentrations and structural characteristics. At two weeks of age, both species demonstrated pronounced differences in femur Al and P concentrations and femur mass from dietary Al and interaction between Ca:P regimen and Al; Low Ca:Low P enhanced Al storage and decreased P and mass in femurs. Femur Ca was lowest in the Low Ca:Low P regimen but was not affected by dietary Al. At 10 weeks, femur and liver Al continued to vary with dietary Al. Elevated Al and reduced Ca lowered modulus of elasticity. Femur P increased with elevated dietary P in black ducks. Elevated dietary P negated some of the effects of dietary Al on femur mass in black ducks. Reduced Ca concentrations weakened bones of both species and lowered both Ca and P. An array of clinical signs including lameness, discoloration of the upper mandible, complete and greenstick fractures, and death were responses to elevated Al and Ca:P regimen. Black ducks seemed to display these signs over a wider range of diets than mallards. Diets of 1,000 mg/kg Al had toxic effects on both species, particularly when combined with diets low in Ca and P.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1991

A vacuum-operated pore-water extractor for estuarine and freshwater sediments

A vacuum-operated pore-water extractor for estuarine and freshwater sediments was developed and constructed from a fused-glass air stone attached with aquarium airline tubing to a 30 or 60 cc polypropylene syringe. Pore water is extracted by inserting the air stone into the sediment and creating a vacuum by retracting and bracing the syringe plunger. A hand-operated vacuum pump attached to a filtration flask was also evaluated as an alternative vacuum source. The volume and time to extract pore water varies with the number of devices and the sediment particle size. Extraction time is longer for fine sediments than for sandy sediments. Four liters of sediment generally yield between 500 and 1,500 mL of pore water. The sediment that surrounds and accumulates on the air stone acts as a filter, and, except for the first few milliliters, the collected pore water is clear. Because there is no exposure to air or avenue for escape, volatile compounds andin situ characteristics are retained in the extracted pore water.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1985

Contaminant residues in fish and sediments from lakes in the Atchafalaya River Basin (Louisiana)

Conversion of bottomland hardwood forests ℴ agricultural land has reduced habitat and water quality in many lakes in the floodplain of the lower Mississippi River. The objectives of this study were to ascertain current contaminant residue concentrations in fish and sediment from lakes in the Atchafalaya River Basin and to determine the influence of overflow and agricultural land use on contaminant levels. Fish and sediment samples were collected from eight lakes that differed in overflow (no overflow, headwater overflow, backwater overflow) and land-use characteristics (presence or absence of agricultural land). Residue analysis of 24 sediment and 82 fish samples collected from the study lakes showed that contaminant residues were uniformly low. Total DDT concentrations, consisting mainly of DDE, were found in 98% of the fish samples and generally were the highest residues though they rarely exceeded 0.50 μg/g. Dieldrin, α-BHC and γ-BHC, in concentrations rarely exceeding 0.05 μg/g, were detected in about 50% of the fish samples. Total organochlorine pesticide and PCB residues were less than 2.00 μg/g in all fish from all lakes, except for a 3.46 μg/g total in spotted gar ( Lepisosteus oculatus ) from one lake. Sediments were free from pesticide residues except for occasional traces (0.01 μg/g) of α-BHC. Metal residue concentrations in fish and sediment samples were typical of uncontaminated areas. Lake systems in the Atchafalaya River Basin appeared to be relatively uncontaminated by agricultural pesticides, but metal and organic residues in fish were similar from lakes with the same land-use and overflow characteristics.

Louisiana↗