Journal of toxicology and environmental health, 1981
No. 2 fuel oil was fed to mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings in concentrations of 0.5 and 5.0... more No. 2 fuel oil was fed to mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings in concentrations of 0.5 and 5.0% of the diet from hatching to 18 wk of age to assess the effects of chronic oil ingestion during early development. Five growth parameters (body weight, wing length, ninth primary length, tarsal length, and bill length) were depressed in birds receiving a diet containing 5% fuel oil. There was no oil-related mortality. The 5% fuel oil diet impaired avoidance behavior of 9-d-old mallard ducklings compared with controls or ducklings fed 0.5% oil. Open-field activity was greatly increased in 16-wk-old ducklings fed 5.0% oil. Liver hypertrophy and splenic atrophy were gross evidences of pathological effects in birds on the 5.0% oil diet. More subtle effects included biochemical lesions that resulted in the elevation of plasma alanine aminotransferase and ornithine carbamoyltransferase activity.
Journal of toxicology and environmental health, 1988
Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed a control diet, diets containing 1, 5, 10, or 25 ppm Se as... more Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed a control diet, diets containing 1, 5, 10, or 25 ppm Se as sodium selenite, or a diet containing 10 ppm Se as seleno-DL-methionine in the first of two experiments. Selenium at 10 ppm as selenomethionine or 25 ppm as sodium selenite caused a 40-44% decrease in the total number of eggs that hatched compared to controls. Selenium at 25 ppm (sodium selenite) resulted in a 19% decrease in mean embryonic weight at 18 d of incubation, accompanied by a 6% decrease in crown-rump length. Ten parts per million Se as selenomethionine was more teratogenic than sodium selenite at 25 ppm. Selenomethionine (10 ppm Se) resulted in an incidence of 13.1% malformations that were often multiple, whereas sodium selenite (10 and 25 ppm Se) resulted in 3.6 and 4.2% malformations. The teratogenicity of selenomethionine was confirmed in a second experiment in which mallards received 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 ppm Se as selenomethionine, resulting in 0.9, 0.5, 1.4, 6.8, and 67.9%...
Journal of toxicology and environmental health, 1989
Studies were conducted with mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings to determine the effects of ex... more Studies were conducted with mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings to determine the effects of excess dietary selenium (Se) on hepatic glutathione concentration and associated enzymes, and lipid peroxidation. Day-old ducklings were fed 0.1, 10, 20, or 40 ppm Se as seleno-DL-methionine or sodium selenite for 6 wk. Selenium from selenomethionine accumulated in a dose-dependent manner in the liver, resulting in a decrease in the concentration of hepatic-reduced glutathione (GSH) and total hepatic thiols (SH). These effects were accompanied by a dose-dependent increase in the ratio of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) to GSH, and an increase in malondialdehyde concentration as evidence of lipid peroxidation. Hepatic and plasma GSH peroxidase activity was initially elevated at 10 ppm Se as selenomethionine, whereas GSSG reductase activity was elevated at higher dietary concentrations of Se. Selenium from sodium selenite accumulated in the liver to an apparent maximum at 10 ppm in the diet, res...
Journal of toxicology and environmental health, 1991
Two-year-old male mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) received a control diet (0.2 ppm Se) or diets con... more Two-year-old male mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) received a control diet (0.2 ppm Se) or diets containing 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 ppm Se as selenomethionine for 14 wk. Se accumulated readily in the liver in a dose-dependent manner, reaching a mean concentration of 29 ppm (wet weight) in the 32 ppm group. Dietary Se of 2 ppm or greater increased plasma glutathione peroxidase activity. Mortality (10%) and histopathological effects, including bile duct hyperplasia and hemosiderin pigmentation of the liver and spleen, occurred in the 32 ppm group. These histopathological effects were accompanied by lower hemoglobin concentrations (16 and 32 ppm groups) and hematocrit (32 ppm group), and elevated plasma alkaline phosphatase activity (32 ppm group) indicative of cholestatic liver injury. Other manifestations of hepatotoxicity included significant linear dose responses for hepatic oxidized glutathione (GSSG) concentrations and ratio of GSSG to reduced glutathione (GSH). Means for both of thes...
... selenium. We also thank CM Bunck and LD Akin for help in de-signing and conducting the study.... more ... selenium. We also thank CM Bunck and LD Akin for help in de-signing and conducting the study. TL Sharp and DJ Wallace typed the manuscript and revisions. GJ Smith and RL Hothem pro-vided useful editorial reviews. Our ...
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 2006
Lead poisoning of waterfowl has been reported for decades in the Coeur d&... more Lead poisoning of waterfowl has been reported for decades in the Coeur d'Alene River Basin (CDARB) in Idaho as a result of the ingestion of lead-contaminated sediments. This study was conducted to determine whether the addition of phosphoric acid to CDARB sediments would reduce the bioavailability and toxicity of lead to the liver and kidney of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Mallards received diets containing 12% clean sediment (controls) or 12% sediment from three different CDARB sites containing 4520, 5390, or 6990 microg/g lead (dry weight) with or without phosphoric acid amendment. Liver and kidney lead concentrations were significantly higher in all CDARB treatment groups and ranged from geometric mean values of 18.2 (liver) and 28.7 (kidney) for the first 2 sites to 22.5 (liver) and 45.6 (kidney) microg/g (wet weight) for the third site. With amendments all liver lead concentrations were reduced 36 to 55%, and all kidney lead concentrations were lowered 54 to 73%. Unamended CDARB sediment from the third site resulted in the following hepatic effects: over 1.6-fold elevation of liver glutathione (reduced form; GSH) concentration, higher GSH S-transferase and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) reductase activities, and lower protein-bound thiols (PBSH) concentration. Renal effects included higher kidney GSH concentrations for all CDARB sites, with over 2.1-fold higher for the third site. Resulting kidney GSSG to GSH ratios were lower at two sites. At the third site, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity was elevated, and lipid peroxidation as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) was 1.7-fold greater. Amendment restored all hepatic variables as well as the renal variables TBARS and GGT so they did not differ from controls. Although amendments of phosphorus substantially reduced the bioavailability of lead and some of the adverse effects, lead concentrations in the tissues of mallards fed the amended sediments were still above those considered to be harmful to waterfowl under the present conditions.
Controlled laboratory studies with game farm mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and chickens (Gallus g... more Controlled laboratory studies with game farm mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and chickens (Gallus gallus) have demonstrated that methylmercury can cause teratogenic effects in birds, but studies with wild species of birds are lacking. To address this need, doses of methylmercury chloride were injected into the eggs of 25 species of birds, and the dead embryos and hatched chicks were examined for external deformities. When data for controls were summed across all 25 species tested and across all types of deformities, 24 individuals out of a total of 1,533 (a rate of 1.57%) exhibited at least one deformity. In contrast, when data for all of the mercury treatments and all 25 species were summed, 188 deformed individuals out of a total of 2,292 (8.20%) were found. Some deformities, such as lordosis and scoliosis (twisting of the spine), misshapen heads, shortening or twisting of the neck, and deformities of the wings, were seldom observed in controls but occurred in much greater frequency in Hg-treated individuals. Only 0.59% of individual control dead embryos and hatchlings exhibited multiple deformities versus 3.18% for Hg-dosed dead embryos and hatchlings. Methylmercury seems to have a widespread teratogenic potential across many species of birds.
The ideal study of the effects of methylmercury on the reproductive success of a species of bird ... more The ideal study of the effects of methylmercury on the reproductive success of a species of bird would be one in which eggs contained mercury concentrations ranging from controls to very heavily contaminated, all at the same site. Such a study cannot be realized at a Hg-contaminated area or under laboratory conditions but could be achieved by introducing methylmercury into breeding females and allowing them to deposit Hg in their eggs. Female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were intraperitoneally injected with solutions of methylmercury chloride dissolved in corn oil, propylene glycol, dimethyl sulfoxide, mineral oil, Olestra, Crisco, lard, hard paraffin, and a combination of hard and soft paraffin. In some cases, egg laying was delayed, as a result of either the solvent itself (in the case of Olestra, Crisco, and lard) or the highest concentration of methylmercury chloride (500 microg/g) in some of the solvents. Mercury in eggs ranged from a control level (<0.1 microg/g) to approximately 14 microg/g on a wet weight basis, which more than covers the range of concentrations reported in wild bird eggs. Mercury concentrations in a series of eggs from the same female declined mostly as a result of excretion of Hg in prior eggs and not because of the length of time since the injection. Intraperitoneal injections hold promise in field studies in which one would like to study the reproductive effects of a wide range of methylmercury levels in the eggs of a wild bird and under the natural conditions that exist in the field.
We developed a simplified and highly accurate method for correcting contaminant concentrations in... more We developed a simplified and highly accurate method for correcting contaminant concentrations in eggs for the moisture that is lost from an egg during incubation. To make the correction, one injects water into the air cell of the egg until overflowing. The amount of water injected corrects almost perfectly for the amount of water lost during incubation or when an egg is left in the nest and dehydrates and deteriorates over time. To validate the new method we weighed freshly laid chicken (Gallus gallus) eggs and then incubated sets of fertile and dead eggs for either 12 or 19 d. We then injected water into the air cells of these eggs and verified that the weights after water injection were almost identical to the weights of the eggs when they were fresh. The advantages of the new method are its speed, accuracy, and simplicity: It does not require the calculation of a correction factor that has to be applied to each contaminant residue.
Breeding pairs of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed a control diet or a diet containing 0.5 ... more Breeding pairs of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed a control diet or a diet containing 0.5 microg/g mercury (Hg) in the form of methylmercury chloride. There were no effects of Hg on adult weights and no overt signs of Hg poisoning in adults. The Hg-containing diet had no effect on fertility of eggs, but hatching success of eggs was significantly higher for females fed 0.5 microg/g Hg (71.8%) than for controls (57.5%). Survival of ducklings through 6 d of age was the same (97.8%) for controls and mallards fed 0.5 microg/g mercury. However, the mean number of ducklings produced per female was significantly higher for the pairs fed 0.5 microg/g Hg (21.4) than for controls (16.8). Although mercury in the parents' diet had no effect on mean duckling weights at hatching, ducklings from parents fed 0.5 microg/g Hg weighed significantly more (mean = 87.2 g) at 6 d of age than did control ducklings (81.0 g). The mean concentration of Hg in eggs laid by parents fed 0.5 microg/g mercury was 0.81 microg/g on a wet-weight basis. At this time, one cannot rule out the possibility that low concentrations of Hg in eggs may be beneficial, and this possibility should be considered when setting regulatory thresholds for methylmercury.
Measurements of Hg concentrations in avian eggs can be used to predict possible harm to reproduct... more Measurements of Hg concentrations in avian eggs can be used to predict possible harm to reproduction, but it is not always possible to sample eggs. When eggs cannot be sampled, some substitute tissue, such as female blood, the diet of the breeding female, or down feathers of hatchlings, must be used. When female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed diets containing methylmercury chloride, the concentration of Hg in a sample of their blood was closely correlated with the concentration of Hg in the egg they laid the day they were bled (r2 = 0.88; p < 0.001). Even when the blood sample was taken more than two weeks after an egg was laid, there was a strong correlation between Hg concentrations in female blood and eggs (r2 = 0.67; p < 0.0002). When we plotted the dietary concentrations of Hg we fed to the egg-laying females against the concentrations of Hg in their eggs, the r2 value was 0.96 (p < 0.0001). When the concentrations of Hg in the down feathers of newly hatched ducklings were plotted against Hg in the whole ducklings, the r2 value was 0.99 (p < 0.0003). Although measuring Hg in eggs may be the most direct way of predicting possible embryotoxicity, our findings demonstrate that measuring Hg in the diet of breeding birds, in the blood of egg-laying females, or in down feathers of hatchlings all can be used to estimate what concentration of Hg may have been in the egg.
Page 1. 1124 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 15, No. 7, pp. 11241132, 1996 Printed ... more Page 1. 1124 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 15, No. 7, pp. 11241132, 1996 Printed in the USA 0730-7268/96 $6.00 .00 EFFECTS OF BORON AND SELENIUM ON MALLARD REPRODUCTION AND DUCKLING GROWTH AND SURVIVAL ...
... Sanit. Eng. Div. J. 94455.475. 3. Mayes, RA, AW McIntosh and VL Anderson. 1977. Uptake of cad... more ... Sanit. Eng. Div. J. 94455.475. 3. Mayes, RA, AW McIntosh and VL Anderson. 1977. Uptake of cadmium and lead by a rooted aquatic macrouhyte (Elodea canadensis). ... Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 20:96-10 1. 13. Sullivan, JF,GJ Atchison, DJ Kolar and AW McIntosh. 1978. ...
Journal of toxicology and environmental health, 1981
No. 2 fuel oil was fed to mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings in concentrations of 0.5 and 5.0... more No. 2 fuel oil was fed to mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings in concentrations of 0.5 and 5.0% of the diet from hatching to 18 wk of age to assess the effects of chronic oil ingestion during early development. Five growth parameters (body weight, wing length, ninth primary length, tarsal length, and bill length) were depressed in birds receiving a diet containing 5% fuel oil. There was no oil-related mortality. The 5% fuel oil diet impaired avoidance behavior of 9-d-old mallard ducklings compared with controls or ducklings fed 0.5% oil. Open-field activity was greatly increased in 16-wk-old ducklings fed 5.0% oil. Liver hypertrophy and splenic atrophy were gross evidences of pathological effects in birds on the 5.0% oil diet. More subtle effects included biochemical lesions that resulted in the elevation of plasma alanine aminotransferase and ornithine carbamoyltransferase activity.
Journal of toxicology and environmental health, 1988
Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed a control diet, diets containing 1, 5, 10, or 25 ppm Se as... more Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed a control diet, diets containing 1, 5, 10, or 25 ppm Se as sodium selenite, or a diet containing 10 ppm Se as seleno-DL-methionine in the first of two experiments. Selenium at 10 ppm as selenomethionine or 25 ppm as sodium selenite caused a 40-44% decrease in the total number of eggs that hatched compared to controls. Selenium at 25 ppm (sodium selenite) resulted in a 19% decrease in mean embryonic weight at 18 d of incubation, accompanied by a 6% decrease in crown-rump length. Ten parts per million Se as selenomethionine was more teratogenic than sodium selenite at 25 ppm. Selenomethionine (10 ppm Se) resulted in an incidence of 13.1% malformations that were often multiple, whereas sodium selenite (10 and 25 ppm Se) resulted in 3.6 and 4.2% malformations. The teratogenicity of selenomethionine was confirmed in a second experiment in which mallards received 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 ppm Se as selenomethionine, resulting in 0.9, 0.5, 1.4, 6.8, and 67.9%...
Journal of toxicology and environmental health, 1989
Studies were conducted with mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings to determine the effects of ex... more Studies were conducted with mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings to determine the effects of excess dietary selenium (Se) on hepatic glutathione concentration and associated enzymes, and lipid peroxidation. Day-old ducklings were fed 0.1, 10, 20, or 40 ppm Se as seleno-DL-methionine or sodium selenite for 6 wk. Selenium from selenomethionine accumulated in a dose-dependent manner in the liver, resulting in a decrease in the concentration of hepatic-reduced glutathione (GSH) and total hepatic thiols (SH). These effects were accompanied by a dose-dependent increase in the ratio of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) to GSH, and an increase in malondialdehyde concentration as evidence of lipid peroxidation. Hepatic and plasma GSH peroxidase activity was initially elevated at 10 ppm Se as selenomethionine, whereas GSSG reductase activity was elevated at higher dietary concentrations of Se. Selenium from sodium selenite accumulated in the liver to an apparent maximum at 10 ppm in the diet, res...
Journal of toxicology and environmental health, 1991
Two-year-old male mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) received a control diet (0.2 ppm Se) or diets con... more Two-year-old male mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) received a control diet (0.2 ppm Se) or diets containing 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 ppm Se as selenomethionine for 14 wk. Se accumulated readily in the liver in a dose-dependent manner, reaching a mean concentration of 29 ppm (wet weight) in the 32 ppm group. Dietary Se of 2 ppm or greater increased plasma glutathione peroxidase activity. Mortality (10%) and histopathological effects, including bile duct hyperplasia and hemosiderin pigmentation of the liver and spleen, occurred in the 32 ppm group. These histopathological effects were accompanied by lower hemoglobin concentrations (16 and 32 ppm groups) and hematocrit (32 ppm group), and elevated plasma alkaline phosphatase activity (32 ppm group) indicative of cholestatic liver injury. Other manifestations of hepatotoxicity included significant linear dose responses for hepatic oxidized glutathione (GSSG) concentrations and ratio of GSSG to reduced glutathione (GSH). Means for both of thes...
... selenium. We also thank CM Bunck and LD Akin for help in de-signing and conducting the study.... more ... selenium. We also thank CM Bunck and LD Akin for help in de-signing and conducting the study. TL Sharp and DJ Wallace typed the manuscript and revisions. GJ Smith and RL Hothem pro-vided useful editorial reviews. Our ...
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 2006
Lead poisoning of waterfowl has been reported for decades in the Coeur d&... more Lead poisoning of waterfowl has been reported for decades in the Coeur d'Alene River Basin (CDARB) in Idaho as a result of the ingestion of lead-contaminated sediments. This study was conducted to determine whether the addition of phosphoric acid to CDARB sediments would reduce the bioavailability and toxicity of lead to the liver and kidney of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Mallards received diets containing 12% clean sediment (controls) or 12% sediment from three different CDARB sites containing 4520, 5390, or 6990 microg/g lead (dry weight) with or without phosphoric acid amendment. Liver and kidney lead concentrations were significantly higher in all CDARB treatment groups and ranged from geometric mean values of 18.2 (liver) and 28.7 (kidney) for the first 2 sites to 22.5 (liver) and 45.6 (kidney) microg/g (wet weight) for the third site. With amendments all liver lead concentrations were reduced 36 to 55%, and all kidney lead concentrations were lowered 54 to 73%. Unamended CDARB sediment from the third site resulted in the following hepatic effects: over 1.6-fold elevation of liver glutathione (reduced form; GSH) concentration, higher GSH S-transferase and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) reductase activities, and lower protein-bound thiols (PBSH) concentration. Renal effects included higher kidney GSH concentrations for all CDARB sites, with over 2.1-fold higher for the third site. Resulting kidney GSSG to GSH ratios were lower at two sites. At the third site, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity was elevated, and lipid peroxidation as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) was 1.7-fold greater. Amendment restored all hepatic variables as well as the renal variables TBARS and GGT so they did not differ from controls. Although amendments of phosphorus substantially reduced the bioavailability of lead and some of the adverse effects, lead concentrations in the tissues of mallards fed the amended sediments were still above those considered to be harmful to waterfowl under the present conditions.
Controlled laboratory studies with game farm mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and chickens (Gallus g... more Controlled laboratory studies with game farm mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and chickens (Gallus gallus) have demonstrated that methylmercury can cause teratogenic effects in birds, but studies with wild species of birds are lacking. To address this need, doses of methylmercury chloride were injected into the eggs of 25 species of birds, and the dead embryos and hatched chicks were examined for external deformities. When data for controls were summed across all 25 species tested and across all types of deformities, 24 individuals out of a total of 1,533 (a rate of 1.57%) exhibited at least one deformity. In contrast, when data for all of the mercury treatments and all 25 species were summed, 188 deformed individuals out of a total of 2,292 (8.20%) were found. Some deformities, such as lordosis and scoliosis (twisting of the spine), misshapen heads, shortening or twisting of the neck, and deformities of the wings, were seldom observed in controls but occurred in much greater frequency in Hg-treated individuals. Only 0.59% of individual control dead embryos and hatchlings exhibited multiple deformities versus 3.18% for Hg-dosed dead embryos and hatchlings. Methylmercury seems to have a widespread teratogenic potential across many species of birds.
The ideal study of the effects of methylmercury on the reproductive success of a species of bird ... more The ideal study of the effects of methylmercury on the reproductive success of a species of bird would be one in which eggs contained mercury concentrations ranging from controls to very heavily contaminated, all at the same site. Such a study cannot be realized at a Hg-contaminated area or under laboratory conditions but could be achieved by introducing methylmercury into breeding females and allowing them to deposit Hg in their eggs. Female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were intraperitoneally injected with solutions of methylmercury chloride dissolved in corn oil, propylene glycol, dimethyl sulfoxide, mineral oil, Olestra, Crisco, lard, hard paraffin, and a combination of hard and soft paraffin. In some cases, egg laying was delayed, as a result of either the solvent itself (in the case of Olestra, Crisco, and lard) or the highest concentration of methylmercury chloride (500 microg/g) in some of the solvents. Mercury in eggs ranged from a control level (<0.1 microg/g) to approximately 14 microg/g on a wet weight basis, which more than covers the range of concentrations reported in wild bird eggs. Mercury concentrations in a series of eggs from the same female declined mostly as a result of excretion of Hg in prior eggs and not because of the length of time since the injection. Intraperitoneal injections hold promise in field studies in which one would like to study the reproductive effects of a wide range of methylmercury levels in the eggs of a wild bird and under the natural conditions that exist in the field.
We developed a simplified and highly accurate method for correcting contaminant concentrations in... more We developed a simplified and highly accurate method for correcting contaminant concentrations in eggs for the moisture that is lost from an egg during incubation. To make the correction, one injects water into the air cell of the egg until overflowing. The amount of water injected corrects almost perfectly for the amount of water lost during incubation or when an egg is left in the nest and dehydrates and deteriorates over time. To validate the new method we weighed freshly laid chicken (Gallus gallus) eggs and then incubated sets of fertile and dead eggs for either 12 or 19 d. We then injected water into the air cells of these eggs and verified that the weights after water injection were almost identical to the weights of the eggs when they were fresh. The advantages of the new method are its speed, accuracy, and simplicity: It does not require the calculation of a correction factor that has to be applied to each contaminant residue.
Breeding pairs of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed a control diet or a diet containing 0.5 ... more Breeding pairs of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed a control diet or a diet containing 0.5 microg/g mercury (Hg) in the form of methylmercury chloride. There were no effects of Hg on adult weights and no overt signs of Hg poisoning in adults. The Hg-containing diet had no effect on fertility of eggs, but hatching success of eggs was significantly higher for females fed 0.5 microg/g Hg (71.8%) than for controls (57.5%). Survival of ducklings through 6 d of age was the same (97.8%) for controls and mallards fed 0.5 microg/g mercury. However, the mean number of ducklings produced per female was significantly higher for the pairs fed 0.5 microg/g Hg (21.4) than for controls (16.8). Although mercury in the parents' diet had no effect on mean duckling weights at hatching, ducklings from parents fed 0.5 microg/g Hg weighed significantly more (mean = 87.2 g) at 6 d of age than did control ducklings (81.0 g). The mean concentration of Hg in eggs laid by parents fed 0.5 microg/g mercury was 0.81 microg/g on a wet-weight basis. At this time, one cannot rule out the possibility that low concentrations of Hg in eggs may be beneficial, and this possibility should be considered when setting regulatory thresholds for methylmercury.
Measurements of Hg concentrations in avian eggs can be used to predict possible harm to reproduct... more Measurements of Hg concentrations in avian eggs can be used to predict possible harm to reproduction, but it is not always possible to sample eggs. When eggs cannot be sampled, some substitute tissue, such as female blood, the diet of the breeding female, or down feathers of hatchlings, must be used. When female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed diets containing methylmercury chloride, the concentration of Hg in a sample of their blood was closely correlated with the concentration of Hg in the egg they laid the day they were bled (r2 = 0.88; p < 0.001). Even when the blood sample was taken more than two weeks after an egg was laid, there was a strong correlation between Hg concentrations in female blood and eggs (r2 = 0.67; p < 0.0002). When we plotted the dietary concentrations of Hg we fed to the egg-laying females against the concentrations of Hg in their eggs, the r2 value was 0.96 (p < 0.0001). When the concentrations of Hg in the down feathers of newly hatched ducklings were plotted against Hg in the whole ducklings, the r2 value was 0.99 (p < 0.0003). Although measuring Hg in eggs may be the most direct way of predicting possible embryotoxicity, our findings demonstrate that measuring Hg in the diet of breeding birds, in the blood of egg-laying females, or in down feathers of hatchlings all can be used to estimate what concentration of Hg may have been in the egg.
Page 1. 1124 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 15, No. 7, pp. 11241132, 1996 Printed ... more Page 1. 1124 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 15, No. 7, pp. 11241132, 1996 Printed in the USA 0730-7268/96 $6.00 .00 EFFECTS OF BORON AND SELENIUM ON MALLARD REPRODUCTION AND DUCKLING GROWTH AND SURVIVAL ...
... Sanit. Eng. Div. J. 94455.475. 3. Mayes, RA, AW McIntosh and VL Anderson. 1977. Uptake of cad... more ... Sanit. Eng. Div. J. 94455.475. 3. Mayes, RA, AW McIntosh and VL Anderson. 1977. Uptake of cadmium and lead by a rooted aquatic macrouhyte (Elodea canadensis). ... Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 20:96-10 1. 13. Sullivan, JF,GJ Atchison, DJ Kolar and AW McIntosh. 1978. ...
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