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A. J. Krynitsky

Publications and source records attributed to A. J. Krynitsky.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2020

Combined extraction-cleanup column chromatographic procedure for determination of dicofol in avian eggs

Dicofol in avian eggs was completely oxidized to dichlorobenzophenone (DCBP) when a hexane Soxhlet extraction procedure was used. This degradation did not occur with other avian tissues (muscle and liver). For this reason, a combined extraction-cleanup column chromatographic procedure, without added heat, was developed for the determination of dicofol in avian eggs. Homogenized subsamples of eggs were mixed with sodium sulfate, and the mixture was added as the top layer on a column prepacked with Florisil. The dicofol and other compounds of interest were then eluted with ethyl etherhexane. The extracts, relatively free from lipids, were quantitated on a gas chromatograph equipped with a 63Ni electron-capture detector and a methyl silicone capillary column. Recoveries from chicken eggs, fortified with dicofol and other DDT-related compounds, averaged 96%. Analysis of eggs of eastern screech-owls, fed a meat diet containing 10 ppm technical Kelthane, showed that both dicofol and DCBP were present. Results were confirmed by gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry. This method is rapid and reliable, involves a minimum of sample handling, and is well suited for high volume determination of dicofol in eggs and other avian tissues .

Journal of the Association of Official Analytical ↗
USGS1989

Effects of Kelthane® on reproduction of captive eastern screech-owls

Eastern screech-owls ( Otus asio ) were fed diets containing 10 ppm Kelthane® with 3.4% DDT-related contaminants (old technical formulation), 10 ppm Kelthane with no detectable DDT contaminants (new technical formulation) or a control diet. Food consumption, adult weight and date of initiation of egg laying were similar for birds in control and dosed treatment groups. Most measures of reproductive success were similar for control and dosed treatment groups. Shell weight and thickness index were significantly lower for both dosed groups than for controls. Shell thickness was significantly lower for the new Kelthane treatment than for controls. Concentrations of p,p' -DDE were significantly higher in eggs laid by pairs receiving old Kelthane than in those of birds receiving new Kelthane or in controls. Concentrations of dichlorobenzophenone, dicofol and dechlorodicofols were significantly higher in carcasses of dosed owls than in controls, whereas concentrations of DDE were significantly higher in carcasses of owls fed old Kelthane than in controls or owls fed new Kelthane.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS1989

Hepatic glutathione metabolism and lipid peroxidation in response to excess dietary selenomethionine and selenite in mallard ducklings

Selenium from selenomethionine accumulated in a dose-dependent manner in the liver, resulting in a decrease in hepatic-reduced glutathione with a corresponding decrease in total hepatic thiols. There was a dose-dependent increase in the oxidized to reduced glutathione ratio, and an increase in lipid peroxidation. These findings indicate that Se in the diet at 10 ppm and higher causes significant sublethal alterations in mallard ducklings, and 20-40 ppm causes significant hepatotoxicity.

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health↗
USGS1989

Long-term persistence of dieldrin, DDT, and heptachlor epoxide in earthworms

Earthworms can accumulate persistent soilborne insecticides and are an important source of contamination of terrestrail wildlife. We treated experimental plots once with dieldrin, DDT, or heptachlor, and measured changes in insecticide concentrations in earthworms over a 20-year period. We estimated 'half-times,' defined as the time for a concentration in earthworms to be reduced by half. Deldrin had a half-time of 5.4 years. DDE, the metabolite of DDT most important to wildlife, increased until the third year and then decreased with a half-time of 5.7 years. Heptachlor epoxide, the metabolite of hepatachlor most important to wildlife, increased until the second year and then decreased with a half-time of 4.3 years. The declining parts of the curves of all three compounds fit exponential decay equations reasonably well. The estimates persistence are relevant to insecticides at low or moderate concentrations in relatively undistrubed soils in temperate climates.

Ambio↗
USGS1988

Reproduction in black-crowned night-herons fed selenium

Agricultural and industrial practices can produce wastewater that contains high concentrations of selenium, a naturally-occurring trace element. Selenium entering aquatic systems through wastewater inflow can accumulate in aquatic food chains to levels that may be toxic to fish and wildlife species. Mallard reproduction is known to be adversely affected by 10 ppm selenium in the diet (containing 7–10 percent moisture, in the form of selenomethionine); however, hatching success of eggs laid by black-crowned night-herons fed a 10 ppm selenium diet, as selenomethionine, in this study was not different from eggs laid by herons fed an unsupplemented diet (0.1 ppm selenium). Organ weights, hemoglobin concentrations, hematocrits, eggshell thickness, and shell thickness did not differ between controls and herons receiving 10 ppm selenium. Developmental malformations commonly associated with selenium exposure in other birds were not observed in heron embryos or hatchlings in the 10 ppm group. However, three-day-old hatchlings from herons fed 10 ppm selenium had shorter radius-ulna and femur lengths and higher liver malondialdehyde concentrations than controls. Selenium residues in heron eggs were lower than those reported in mallards fed the same amount of selenium. Results of this study suggest that herons are less sensitive to the toxic effects of selenium than mallards. Other hypotheses are also considered to explain the different responses of the two species.

Lake and Reservoir Management↗
USGS1987

Reproduction in mallards fed selenium

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed diets containing 1, 5, 10, 25 or 100 ppm selenium as sodium selenite, a diet containing 10 ppm selenium as seleno-DL-methionine or a control diet. There were no effects of 1, 5 or 10 ppm selenium as sodium selenite on either weight or survival of adults or on reproductive success, and there did not appear to be a dose-response relationship at these lower levels. The 100 ppm selenium diet killed 11 of 12 adults; one adult male fed 25 ppm selenium died. Selenium at 25 and 100 ppm caused weight loss in adults. Females fed 25 ppm selenium took longer to begin laying eggs and intervals between eggs were longer than in females in other treatment groups. Hatching success appeared to be reduced in birds fed 10 ppm selenium as selenomethionine, but the reduction was not statistically significant. The survival of ducklings and the mean number of 21-d-old ducklings produced per female were reduced in the 25 ppm selenium as sodium selenite group and the 10 ppm selenium as selenomethionine group. Egg weights were not affected by any selenium treatment, but 25 ppm selenium lowered the Ratcliffe Index. Duckling weights at hatching and at 21 d of age were reduced 28 and 36%, respectively, in birds fed 25 ppm selenium, as compared with controls. Body weights measured on day 21 were lower for ducklings fed 10 ppm selenium as selenomethionine than in some other groups. Selenium in concentrations of 10 and 25 ppm as sodium selenite caused mainly embryotoxic effects, whereas 10 ppm as selenomethionine was more teratogenic, causing hydrocephaly, bill defects, eye defects (microphthalmia and anophthalmia) and foot and toe defects, including ectrodactyly. Selenomethionine was much more readily taken up by mallards and passed into their eggs than was sodium selenite, and a greater proportion of the selenium in the eggs ended up in the white when selenomethionine was fed. Adult males accumulated more selenium than did females, probably because of the females' ability to eliminate selenium in their eggs.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS1987

Residues of organochlorine pesticides and polychloribiphenyls [sic] in starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), from the continental United States, 1982

Starlings were collected from 129 sites throughout the contiguous United States in the fall of 1982 and analyzed for organochlorine compounds as part of a nationwide monitoring program. Residues of 14 organochlorine compounds were found. Only DDE, polychlorobiphenyls (PCB), dieldrin, and heptachlor epoxide occurred in more than 50% of the 10-starling pools. Geographical variation in the occurrence of seven organochlorine compounds was noted. Mean DDE levels were higher in the southwestern United States. Mean PCB levels were higher in the eastern United States. The occurrence frequency of most organochlorines in 1982 was similar to that which was reported in the previous nationwide study in 1979. A slight increase in occurrence was noted for trans -nonachlor. Mean DDE level in 1982 was similar to that of 1979. Mean PCB level in 1982 was lower than the 1979 mean, but this change may not reflect a decrease in environmental PCB levels.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment↗
USGS1987

Selenium contamination of the Grasslands, a major California waterfowl area

In a recent study at Kesterson Reservoir in California, selenium was shown to cause mortality and deformities in embryos of aquatic birds. The present study was conducted to determine if selenium or other contaminants in agricultural drainwater used for marsh management were likely to cause similar adverse effects in the nearby Grasslands area. Selenium concentrations were elevated (greater than 15 ppm, dry-weight) in livers of some birds of all species collected from the Grasslands. Mean selenium concentrations in all species sampled in the South Grasslands were significantly higher (P less than 0.05) than those from the 'control site', the Volta Wildlife Area. Mean selenium levels in black-necked stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) from the South Grasslands (35.6 ppm) were similar (P greater than 0.05) to levels in stilts from Kesterson (46.4 ppm), but means for American avocets (Recurvirostra americana) from the South Grasslands (67.3 ppm) were higher (P less than 0.05) than those from Kesterson (28.4 ppm). Bird eggs and fish from the Grasslands also contained elevated levels of selenium. Concentrations of eight heavy metals in fish generally reflected those patterns previously found in water entering the study areas. Of the organochlorines detected in fish, only DDE occurred at concentrations potentially harmful to birds (6.1 and 3.0 ppm, wet weight, at two South Grassland sites). The effect on avian health or reproduction of the other contaminants, singly or in combination, could not be determined. However, selenium levels were apparently sufficiently elevated in 1984 to have caused adverse effects on avian reproduction in the South Grasslands.

California↗
USGS1986

Analysis of cyanide in whole blood of dosed cathartids

A gas-liquid chromatographic method was modified to quantify both unmetabolized (“free”) and metabolized (“bound”, i.e., thiocyanates) cyanides. The methods for both are efficient and sensitive to 0.05 ppm. Repeated freezing and thawing of whole blood from treated cathartids caused an initial increase in free cyanide concentrations, followed by a gradual decline to a plateau. Bound cyanide concentrations declined after repeated freezing and thawing.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS1986

Association between PCBs and lower embryonic weight in black-crowned night herons in San Francisco Bay

Reproductive problems, including congenital malformations, reduced hatching success, and decreased survival of hatchlings, have been observed in colonial-nesting water birds at the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (SFBNWR). Twenty-four black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) eggs were collected from SFBNWR in 1983. Twelve of these were collected from separate nests when late-stage embryos were pipping, and an additional egg was randomly collected from each nest for organochlorine analysis. Overt anomalies and skeletal defects were not apparent. Embryonic weights (with partially absorbed yolk sacs removed) were 15% lower (p lt 0.05) in SFBNWR embryos compared to control embryos from the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC). Crown-rump length and femur length were shorter for SFBNWR embryos. The geometric mean polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentration in SFBNWR eggs was 4.1 ppm wet weight, with a range of 0.8-52.0 ppm. A negative correlation (r = - 0.61; p lt 0.05) existed between embryonic weight and log-transformed PCB residues in whole eggs collected from the same nest at SFBNWR, suggesting a possible impact of PCBs on embryonic growth. A correlation with embryonic weight did not occur for DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene) residues. Liver microsomal aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity was neither significantly elevated nor correlated with PCB, DDE, or PCB plus DDE log-transformed residues. It is unknown whether the apparent association between PCBs and lower weight is persistent through hatching.

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health↗
USGS1986

Acute oral toxicity of sodium cyanide in birds

Sensitivities of six avian species, black vulture ( Coragyps atratus ), American kestrel ( Falco sparverius ), Japanese quail ( Coturnix japonica ), domestic chicken ( Gallus domesticus ), eastern screech-owl ( Otus asio ), and European starling ( Sturnus vulgaris ), to acute poisoning by sodium cyanide (NaCN) were compared by single dose LD50's. Three species, domestic chickens, black vultures, and turkey vultures ( Cathartes aura ), were dosed with NaCN to determine cyanide residues in those that died and also in survivors, in addition to postmortem fate. Three flesh-eating species (black vulture, American kestrel, and eastern screech-owl; LD50's 4.0–8.6 mg/kg) were more sensitive to NaCN than three species (Japanese quail, domestic chicken, and European starling; LD50's 9.4–21 mg/kg) that fed predominantly on plant material. Elevated concentrations of cyanide were found in the blood of birds that died of cyanide poisoning; however, concentrations in birds that died overlapped those in survivors. Blood was superior to liver as the tissue of choice for detecting cyanide exposure. No gross pathological changes related to dosing were observed at necropsy.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗
USGS1986

Dieldrin and endrin residues in fulvous whistling-ducks in Texas in 1983

Fulvous Whistling-Ducks were collected near nesting areas in the rice fields of Texas in 1983 to determine if these birds continue to carry residue levels of organochlorine contaminants, and if the contaminants were acquired in Texas or Mexico. Adults were collected immediately after they arrived from wintering grounds and juveniles were collected in late summer before their departure to wintering grounds. Carcasses of 7 of 15 adults, some of which had been feeding in rice fields, contained residues of dieldrin in low to moderately high levels and 4 contained low levels of endrin. None of 16 flightless juveniles contained organochlorine residues. The contaminated adults were most likely exposed to aldrin or dieldrin via illegal treatment of rice seed with aldrin in some nesting areas of Texas.

Journal of Field Ornithology↗
USGS1985

The effects of heptachlor and lindane on birds, Columbia Basin, Oregon and Washington, 1976-1981

The effects of heptachlor seed treatments on birds in the vicinity of the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon and Washington, were investigated from 1978 to 1981. An egg was collected from each of 60 nests representing six species. Heptachlor epoxide (HE) residues were detected in 35 eggs and were particularly high (8–13 μg g −1 ) in a few eggs of the black-billed magpie, mallard, and ring-necked pheasant. These residues were within the range that induced reproductive problems in other species in the area. Diagnostically lethal residue levels (⩾ 9 μg g −1 ) of HE were detected in the brains of nine birds (four species). Most of the avifauna in the area contained residues of HE and related compounds. Lindane, the replacement chemical for heptachlor, did not produce adverse effects in birds, and residues were not detected in either their eggs or brains.

Science of the Total Environment↗
USGS1985

Brown pelican populations and pollutants in Texas 1975-1981

The population status, reproductive success, and levels of environmental contaminants in brown pelicans (P. occidentalis) in Texas were studied from 1975 through 1981. Breeding populations increased from 18 pairs in 1975 to 57 pairs in 1981. All unhatched eggs salvaged for analyses of contaminant residues contained DDT metabolites. Mean DDE levels varied from 0.9 to 2.4 ppm and about 7% of the samples had residues that approached critical levels that could affect reproductive success. DDE levels did not decline from 1975 to 1981 and residues leveled off at higher values than those in South Carolina and Louisiana pelican populations. PCB [polychlorinated biphenyl] residues also remained stable. Endrin was detected only in 1975.

The Wilson Bulletin↗