Effects of halogenated contaminants on reproductive development in wild mink (Neovison vison) from locations in Canada

Abstract

The concept of the Anthropocene, that humans are now re-engineering global ecosystems, is in part evidenced by the pervasive pollution by persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Certain POPs are hormone mimics and can disrupt endocrine and hence reproductive processes, shown mainly by laboratory studies with model species. There are, in contrast, fewer confirmations of such disruption from eco-epidemiological studies of wild mammals. Here we used the American mink (Neovison vison) as a sentinel species for such a study. Over the period 1998-2006, 161 mink carcasses were obtained from commercial trappers in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Ontario. Mink were aged, sexed, measured, and body condition assessed. Livers were analyzed either individually or pooled for organochlorine (OC) pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and subsets for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). We primarily addressed whether contaminants affected male reproductive development by measuring baculum size and assessing the influences of age and body condition. We also considered the influence of spatial variation on relative exposure and size of baculum. Statistical models separated by age class revealed that significant relationships between baculum length or mass and juvenile mink were mostly positive, whereas for adults and first year mink they were mostly negative. A significant negative relationship for adult mink was determined between DDE and both baculum length and mass. For juvenile mink we found significant positive relationships between ∑PCBs, DDE and ∑PBDEs with baculum length. Our results provide some indication of negative effects of halogenated contaminants on male reproductive development in wild mink, and the most likely candidate chemical is the confirmed anti-androgenic compound, DDE, rather than PCBs or other compounds.

Micro QuEChERS-based method for the simultaneous biomonitoring in whole blood of 360 toxicologically relevant pollutants for wildlife

“…One of the best-studied chemical groups in wildlife is that of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs, mainly organohalogenated compounds), as these compounds have been linked for decades to population declines, diseases or abnormalities in several species, including certain types of fish, birds, and mammals (Luzardo et al, 2014b;Malarvannan et al, 2020). Besides, their monitoring in wildlife seems to be important because certain animal species can also act as sentinels for human health (Bucchia et al, 2015;Elliott et al, 2018;Fox, 2001;Henriquez-Hernandez et al, 2017;Luzardo et al, 2014a;Reif, 2011), and also for identifying trends in levels that can assess the effectiveness of international control measures (Malarvannan et al, 2020).…”

Toxicological effects assessment for wildlife in the 21st century: Review of current methods and recommendations for a path forward

“…Carcasses and debilitated live birds are collected by agencies and wildlife rehabilitators and have been effectively used and factored into decision‐making by agencies for lead (Descalzo et al, 2021), pesticides (Elliott et al, 2022; Hindmarch et al, 2019), and pharmaceuticals (Herrero‐Villar et al, 2020). Similarly, feathers can be obtained from live birds (Espın et al, 2016; Jaspers et al, 2019) and carcass remains and tissues have been obtained from hunters and trappers and have also be assessed for POPs (Elliott et al, 2018; García‐Fernández et al, 2013), pesticides (Martinez‐Haro et al, 2022), lead (Mateo et al, 2001) and contaminants of emerging concern (González‐Rubio et al, 2021).…”