PCBs in the eggs of Eurasian Kestrels indicate exposure to local pollution
- 31 August 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in AMBIO
- Vol. 37 (6), 452-456
- https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447(2008)37[455:piteoe]2.0.co;2
Abstract
Fail-to-hatch kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) eggs collected at the end of the 1999 and 2005 breeding seasons from nest boxes in and around the city of Rome, Italy, were analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection for their PCB content and for the presence of DDT derivatives and other organochlorines. Among the various PCBs, congeners 153 and 180 were detected in all the eggs and showed the highest concentrations. Eggs collected from the same nest from a polluted location in Rome during 2 different years showed similar type and number of PCB congeners. These data and the fact that eggs from another nest near a sulphate mine had, atypically, low-chlorinated congeners support the conclusion that eggs of this species, whose adults in the Mediterranean and continental Europe perform only short or no migration movements, might be indicative of local pollution. When multiple eggs in the same clutch were analyzed, the PCBs were similar in type but their concentration decreased within clutch, likely in parallel to the laying order.This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit:
- Comparison of contaminant and residue levels in organic and conventional milk and meat products from Northern ItalyFood Additives & Contaminants, 2005
- Factors influencing liver PCB concentrations in sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus), kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) and herons (Ardea cinerea) in BritainEnvironmental Pollution, 2004
- Polychlorinated biphenyls in raptor and owl eggs in the Czech RepublicVeterinarni Medicina, 2003
- PCDDs/PCDFs, PCBs, and Organochlorine Pesticides in Eggs of Eurasian Sparrowhawks ( Accipiter nisus ), Hobbies ( Falco subbuteo ), and Northern Goshawks ( Accipiter gentilis ) Collected in the Area of Berlin-Brandenburg, GermanyArchives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2002
- Comparative developmental toxicity of planar polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in chickens, American kestrels, and common ternsEnvironmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 1998