Contaminants in Ospreys from the Pacific Northwest: I. Trends and Patterns in Polychlorinated Dibenzo- p -Dioxins and -Dibenzofurans in Eggs and Plasma

Abstract

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) eggs were collected from 1991 to 1997 at nests (n = 121) upstream and downstream of bleached kraft pulp mills and at reference sites in the Fraser and Columbia River drainage systems of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. Blood samples were collected from nestling ospreys during the 1992 breeding season on the Thompson River. Samples were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and -dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Mean concentrations of 2,3,7,8-TCDD were significantly higher in eggs collected in 1991 at downstream compared to upstream nests near pulp mills at Kamloops and Castlegar, British Columbia. There were no significant temporal trends in 2,3,7,8-TCDD, -TCDF or other measured compounds at a sample of nests monitored between 1991 and 1994 downstream of the Castlegar pulp mill, despite changes in bleaching technology (CIO2 substitution). However, by 1997 concentrations of 2, 3,7,8-TCDD and -TCDF were significantly lower than previous years in nests sampled downstream at both Castlegar and Kamloops. An unusual pattern of higher chlorinated PCDDs and PCDFs was found in many of the osprey eggs collected in this study, and considerable individual variation in the pattern existed among eggs from the same site. For example, eggs from four different nests at one study area (Quesnel) on the Fraser River had concentrations of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD ranging from <1 to 1,100 ng/kg and OCDD from <1 to 7,000 ng/kg wet weight. Higher mean concentrations of HpCDD and OCDD were found in eggs from the Thompson River, a tributary of the Fraser, compared to the Columbia River, and concentrations were generally higher at nests upstream of pulp mills. In plasma samples, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD and OCDD were the main compounds detected, with no significant differences measured between samples upstream versus downstream or earlier versus later in the breeding season. Use of chlorophenolic wood preservatives by lumber processors was considered the main source of higher chlorinated PCDD/Fs throughout the systems, based on patterns of trace PCDFs in eggs and significant correlations between egg concentrations of pentachlorophenol and both HpCDD (r = 0.891, p < 0.01) and OCDD (r = 0.870, p < 0.01).

Factors Influencing Legacy Pollutant Accumulation in Alpine Osprey: Biology, Topography, Or Melting Glaciers?

“…65 More than 25% of sampled eggs exceeded the toxicity threshold of 4.2 μg/ g, and the spatial pattern was not explained by known local sources and partially prompted use of satellite telemetry to examine wintering sources. 24 The rapid melting of glacial ice The decline in concentrations of ΣDDT and ΣPCBs in osprey eggs over the period 1991 to 2003 at one of our monitoring sites is shown in SI Figure S4. Kamloops is a river location which does integrate runoff from the surrounding alpine drainage basin.…”

“…24 Each bird was weighed, measured, and banded with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service band on one leg and a red alphanumeric band on the other leg.…”

Environmental contaminants in male river otters from Oregon and Washington, USA, 1994–1999

“…Some otters with higher concentrations of total H6CDD, total H7CDD and OCDD may have been exposed to PCP, a wood preservative from which higher chlorinated PCDDs and PCDFs are present as impurities (Schwetz et al 1974;Goldstein et al 1977;Elliott et al 1999). Elliott et al (1998) also reported a significant relationship between PCP and OCDD in osprey eggs from an area of heavy chlorophenolic use. The unusually high TCDD (506 ng kg −1 ) and OCDD (1521 ng kg −1 ) concentrations for the juvenile male trapped west of Chehalis, WA was exposed locally since that age class had not dispersed.…”

Mercury in Forage Fish from Mexico and Central America: Implications for Fish-Eating Birds

“…Compared with northern breeding sites, relatively little is known about contaminant exposure in the overwintering areas of many migratory species, such as the Osprey Pandion halieatus (Elliott et al 1998(Elliott et al , 2000(Elliott et al , 2007. Similarly, compared with the extensive data base on Hg in fish, largely collected as part of game fish monitoring in the United States and Canada (Kamman et al 2005;Davis et al 2008;Wyn et al 2010), there is much less from wintering areas in Mexico and Central America, with some exceptions (Mol et al 2001;RuelasInzunza and Páez-Osuna 2005).…”