Contaminant exposure of birds nesting in Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA

Custer, Thomas W.; Dummer, P. M. H.; Custer, Christine M.; Franson, J. Christian; Jones, Michael T.

doi:10.1002/etc.2609

Cited by 14 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Custer, unpublished data) at the mouth of the Raisin River, which was about one‐half the concentration measured in tree swallow eggs (401 pg/g PCB TEQs) at that site. Similar biomagnification and inversion at higher trophic levels was found for total PCBs and PCB TEQs in lower Green Bay . Again, this was mostly likely because of the TEF assigned to PCB congener 77 and the differing food habits and metabolic processes within those food webs between aquatic insectivores and piscivores (see discussion in Interpretation and sampling issues section).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…Interestingly, concentrations of mirex in tree swallow eggs are similar to concentrations in piscivorous waterbird eggs , which include herring gulls. Concentrations of mirex in herring gull eggs (5.95 ng/g) in lower Green Bay in 2010 did not significantly differ from tree swallow eggs in 2010 (4.93 ng/g ). This contrasts with most other organics, except for the dioxins and furans, which are usually higher in piscivorous birds than aquatic insectivorous birds such as the tree swallow.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Sites with >10 ng/g tended to be on the more highly industrialized rivers, as would be expected from the many industrial uses for benzene. Hexachlorobenzene, the predominant benzene (>50% of concentration and detected in all samples), does bioaccumulate in higher–trophic level birds such as herons and cormorants . For example, hexachlorobenzene was nearly twice as high in double‐crested cormorant eggs (4.81 ng/g) and 3 times higher (8.81 ng/g) in herring gull eggs than in tree swallow eggs (2.62 ng/g) in lower Green Bay.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Mirex has been declining in herring gull eggs since it was banned . Interestingly, concentrations of mirex in tree swallow eggs are similar to concentrations in piscivorous waterbird eggs , which include herring gulls. Concentrations of mirex in herring gull eggs (5.95 ng/g) in lower Green Bay in 2010 did not significantly differ from tree swallow eggs in 2010 (4.93 ng/g ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Concentrations and spatial patterns of organic contaminants in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs at United States and binational Great Lakes Areas of Concern, 2010–2015

Custer

Dummer

et al. 2016

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Tree swallows, Tachycineta bicolor, were sampled across the Great Lakes basin in 2010 through 2015 to provide a system-wide assessment of current exposure to organic contaminants. The results provide information identified as critical by regulators to assess the "bird or animal deformity or reproductive problems" beneficial use impairment. Eggs were collected from 69 sites across all 5 Great Lakes, including 27 Areas of Concern (AOCs), some with multiple sites, and 10 sites not listed as an AOC. Concentrations of organic contaminants in eggs were quantified and compared with background and reproductive effect thresholds. Approximately 30% of AOCs had geometric mean concentrations of total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at or below average background exposure (0.34 μg/g wet wt). Exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) was minimal, and only 3 of 27 AOCs and 1 non-AOC had geometric mean concentrations that exceeded background for tree swallows (96 ng/g wet wt). Concentrations of both PCBs and PBDEs were 10 to 20 times below the lower limit associated with impaired hatching success. In contrast, geometric mean concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and furan (PCDD-F) toxic equivalents (TEQs) at the Saginaw River and Bay AOC and Midland, Michigan, USA (a non-AOC site), exceeded the lower limit for hatching effects (181 pg/g PCDD-F TEQs). The rest of the sites had geometric mean concentrations of PCDD-F TEQs below background levels (87 pg/g PCDD-F TEQs). Other organic contaminants, including p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, mirex, heptachlor, and chlordane, were at or below background or adverse effect concentrations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:3071-3092. Published 2016 Wiley Periodicals Inc on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Concentrations and spatial patterns of organic contaminants in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs at United States and binational Great Lakes Areas of Concern, 2010–2015

Custer

Dummer

et al. 2016

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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“…Additional sampling is planned to further investigate this level of variability and what proportion of the nesting swallows are still feeding in 'hot spots', or on more contaminated food items. The *50 % decline in exposure to PCB on the Sheboygan River was similar to the magnitude of the decline from the mid-1990s to the current decade in tree swallows sampled at the mouth of the Fox River in lower Green Bay, WI (Custer et al 2014). Calculation of accumulation rates can provide a clearer assessment of exposure during the nestling period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Changes in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting along the Sheboygan River, WI, USA

Custer

Strom

et al. 2014

Ecotoxicology

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Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs on the Sheboygan River, Wisconsin in the 1990s was higher at sites downstream (geometric means = 3.33-8.69 μg/g wet wt.) of the putative PCB source in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin than it was above the source (1.24 μg/g) with the exposure declining as the distance downstream of the source increased. A similar pattern of declining exposure was present in the 2010s as well. Although exposure to PCBs in eggs along the Sheboygan River at sites downstream of Sheboygan Falls has declined by ~60 % since the mid-1990s (8.69 down to 3.27 μg/g) there still seems to be residual pockets of contamination that are exposing some individuals (~25 %) to PCB contamination, similar to exposure found in the 1990s. The exposure patterns in eggs and nestlings among sites, and the changes between the two decades, are further validated by accumulation rate information.

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Latent cognitive effects from low‐level polychlorinated biphenyl exposure in juvenile European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)

Zahara

Michel

Flahr

et al. 2015

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Ecotoxicology research on polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) mixtures has focused principally on short-term effects on reproduction, growth, and other physiological endpoints. Latent cognitive effects from early life exposure to low-level PCBs were examined in an avian model, the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Thirty-six birds, divided equally among 4 treatment groups (control = 0 µg, low = 0.35 µg, intermediate = 0.70 µg, and high = 1.05 µg Aroclor 1254/g body weight), were dosed 1 d through 18 d posthatch, then tested 8 mo to 9 mo later in captivity in an analog to an open radial arm maze. Birds were subject to 4 sequential experiments: habituation, learning, cue selection, and memory. One-half of the birds did not habituate to the test cage; however, this was not linked to a treatment group. Although 11 of the remaining 18 birds successfully learned, only 1 was from the high-dosed group. Control and low-dosed birds were among the only treatment groups to improve trial times throughout the learning experiment. High-dosed birds were slower and more error-prone than controls. Cue selection (spatial or color cues) and memory retention were not affected by prior PCB exposure. The results indicate that a reduction in spatial learning ability persists among birds exposed to Aroclor 1254 during development. This may have implications for migration ability, resource acquisition, and other behaviors relevant for fitness.

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Contaminant exposure of birds nesting in Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA

Cited by 14 publications

References 28 publications

Concentrations and spatial patterns of organic contaminants in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs at United States and binational Great Lakes Areas of Concern, 2010–2015

Concentrations and spatial patterns of organic contaminants in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs at United States and binational Great Lakes Areas of Concern, 2010–2015

Changes in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting along the Sheboygan River, WI, USA

Latent cognitive effects from low‐level polychlorinated biphenyl exposure in juvenile European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)

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