PARENT SESSION
WP2 - Toxicology Wildlife: Management Decisions
Chair: Halbrook, Richard1, 1 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA
Co-chair: Smits, Judit2, 2 University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
2:10 PM to 5:30 PM - Wednesday, 20 November 2002
Room Ballroom J
(586) Evaluation of the organochlorine contamination in a black kite (Milvus migrans) population nesting near a municipal solid waste incinerator.
Jiménez, Begoña*,1, Merino, Ruben1, Blanco, Guillermo2, Abad, Esteban3, Rivera, Josep3, 1 CSIC. Institute of Organic Chemistry., MADRID, SPAIN2 CSIC. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos., Ciudad Real, SPAIN3 CSIC. Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas y Ambientales., BARCELONA, SPAIN
ABSTRACT- Black kites (Milvus migrans) are long-lived birds, which are sensitive to bioaccumulating environmental toxicants, which affect critical processes such as reproduction. Black kites are a useful species for contaminants monitoring. They tolerate human disturbance, and feed at garbage dumps, etc. where a wide range of contaminants can be found. Effects of chlorinated pollutants have not been widely studied in this species. This work is part of a study on the effects of a Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator (MSWI) on kites and investigates if organochlorine (OC) exposure could be involved in the adverse effects observed in black kites. Isomer specific analysis of these substances (including PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs) in unhatched eggs was performed. The toxicological significance of the OC levels, plus a comparison with data for other birds populations are discussed. Total PCBs in eggs of some of the specimens were much higher than levels shown to cause reduced hatching, embryo mortality, and deformities in birds. PCB values found in this study suggested that industrial inputs of PCBs in the population studied were important contaminants of concern. The relationships in black kites, between pollutant content, potential hormonal disruption and eggshell structure is being studied. This information will allow the incinerator environmental managers to make improvements in the operating parameters of the incinerator.
Key words: birds, black kites, organochlorines, municipal solid waste incinerators