Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants in Australian Waterbirds

Abstract

There is growing worldwide recognition of the threat posed by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to wildlife populations. We aimed to measure exposure levels to POPs in a Southern Hemisphere aquatic waterbird species, the nomadic grey teal (Anas gracilis), which is found across Australia. We collected wings from 39 ducks harvested by recreational hunters at two sites (one coastal, one inland) in Victoria, south‐eastern Australia, in 2021. We examined three groups of POPs: nine congeners of polychlorinated bi‐phenyls (PCBs), 13 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PCBs, OCPs and PAHs were detected at quantifiable levels in 13%, 72%, and 100% of birds, respectively. Of the congeners we tested for in PCBs, OCPs, and PAHs, 33%, 38%, and 100% were detected at quantifiable levels, respectively. The highest levels of exposure to POPs that we found was to the PAH, benzo[b]fluoranthene, occurring at a concentration range of 1.78–161.05 ng/g ww. There were some trends detected relating to differences between geographical sites, with higher levels of several PAHs at the coastal versus inland site. There were several strong, positive associations among PAHs found. We discuss potential sources for the POPs detected, including industrial and agricultural sources, and the likely role of large‐scale forest fires in PAH levels. Our results confirm that while Australian waterbirds are exposed to a variety of POPs, exposure levels are currently relatively low. Additional future investigations are required to further characterize POPs within Australian waterbird species.

Interactions Between Heavy Metal Exposure and Blood Biochemistry in an Urban Population of the Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) in Australia

“…Szabo et al (2022) detected elevated PFAS levels in this population of black swans and suggested that this might be attributable to the aforementioned motorsport events. While the study of Szabo et al (2022) investigated PFAS, body burdens of other classes of POPs (e.g., organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) (Nzabanita et al 2023b) have not been investigated in this species. It would be of interest to investigate their occurrence and relationship with the same plasma biochemistry parameters we measured.…”