Title: Contaminants in wildlife utilising confined disposal facilities

Authors: Robert Z. Dobos, D. Scott Painter, Alena Mudroch

Addresses: Lakes Research Branch, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, P.O.Box 5050, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, Ontario L7R 4A6, Canada. ' Lakes Research Branch, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, P.O.Box 5050, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, Ontario L7R 4A6, Canada. ' Lakes Research Branch, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, P.O.Box 5050, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, Ontario L7R 4A6, Canada

Abstract: Voles, shrews and aquatic plants from the Thunder Bay Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) and hatchery-reared ducks, released and recaptured four and 10 weeks after release, were analysed for heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Metal concentrations in duck livers were comparable to our control site values and other reported studies. Metal concentrations in voles and shrews were similar to our control site values or other reported studies. Bioaccumulation of priority PCB congeners was observed in waterfowl muscle samples. Extrapolating our data to other Canadian CDFs in the Great Lakes, waterfowl at the Hamilton Harbour CDF would accumulate PCBs to concentrations greater than the USFDA poultry consumption guideline. Shrews bioaccumulated PCBs to concentrations 10 times higher than voles presumably due the dietary differences between the two species. PCBs concentrations in voles from the Thunder Bay CDF were approximately twice the control site concentrations.

Keywords: bioaccumulation; waterfowl; confined disposal facilities; PCBs; polychlorinated biphenyls; heavy metals; small mammals; wildlife; contaminants; Canada; duck livers; ducks; voles; shrews; poultry consumption guidelines; environmental pollution.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.1991.028478

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 1991 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.73 - 86

Published online: 18 Sep 2009 *

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