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Kurunthachalam Kannan

Publications and source records attributed to Kurunthachalam Kannan.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Exposure and effects of perfluoroalkyl substances in tree swallows nesting in Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA

The exposure and effects of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were studied at eight locations in Minnesota and Wisconsin between 2007 and 2011 using tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). Concentrations of PFASs were quantified as were reproductive success end points. The sample egg method was used wherein an egg sample is collected, and the hatching success of the remaining eggs in the nest is assessed. The association between PFAS exposure and reproductive success was assessed by site comparisons, logistic regression analysis, and multistate modeling, a technique not previously used in this context. There was a negative association between concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in eggs and hatching success. The concentration at which effects became evident (150–200 ng/g wet weight) was far lower than effect levels found in laboratory feeding trials or egg-injection studies of other avian species. This discrepancy was likely because behavioral effects and other extrinsic factors are not accounted for in these laboratory studies and the possibility that tree swallows are unusually sensitive to PFASs. The results from multistate modeling and simple logistic regression analyses were nearly identical. Multistate modeling provides a better method to examine possible effects of additional covariates and assessment of models using Akaike information criteria analyses. There was a credible association between PFOS concentrations in plasma and eggs, so extrapolation between these two commonly sampled tissues can be performed.

Minnesota;Wisconsin

Perfluorinated compound concentrations in great blue heron eggs near St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, in 1993 and 2010-2011

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) colony on Pig's Eye Island on the Mississippi River near St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, is located near several potential perfluorinated compound (PFC) sources. The PFC concentrations in great blue heron eggs reported from a 1993 collection from the Pig's Eye colony were among the highest measured in bird eggs worldwide. The objective of this investigation was to determine whether PFC concentrations in great blue heron eggs at the Pig's Eye colony have changed since 1993. Total PFC concentrations in great blue heron eggs collected at the Pig's Eye colony in 2010 and 2011 (geometric mean = 340 and 492 ng/g wet wt) were 60% lower than the 1993 collection (1,015 ng/g wet wt). Among PFCs, perfluoroalkyl sulfonate concentrations were lower and perfluoroalkyl carboxylate concentrations were higher in the 2010 and 2011 collections. Two of 20 (10%) of the eggs analyzed from Pig's Eye in 2010 and 2011 were >1,000 ng PFCs/g wet weight and the maximum PFC value (2,506 ng PFCs/g wet wt) measured in 2010 and 2011 was among the highest PFC concentration reported in bird eggs. These high concentrations are at levels associated with physiological and neurological effects in birds.

Minnesota

Effects of chronic dietary exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on survival, growth, reproduction and biochemical responses of female rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Adult female rainbow trout were exposed to dietary 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD) at concentrations of 1.8, 18 and 90 ng TCDD/kg (ww) food for up to 300 day. At the end of the exposure fish were spawned and the reproductive outcomes were assessed. TCDD was accumulated into tissues and eggs in a dose-dependent manner with steady state being achieved after 50–100 day of exposure. Biochemical and hematological parameters were monitored at 50, 100, 150, and 200 day after the beginning of exposure. The survival of adult female trout was reduced in a dose-dependent manner by exposure to TCDD in the diet. Fish fed 1.8 ng TCDD/kg, moist weight of diet, showed significantly reduced survival compared with those fed the control diet. TCDD also affected survival of fry from females fed 1.8 ng TCDD/kg. Observed adverse effects in adult fish were as sensitive as early life-stage endpoints. Liver EROD activity was only moderately increased in all exposure groups after 250+ day of exposure. Low rates of edema and deformities were observed in fry from all treatment groups including controls. This study has demonstrated adverse effects of TCDD to both adults and fry at concentrations comparable to current environmental concentrations. This suggests that direct adult toxicity as well as reproductive endpoints need to be incorporated in the current risk assessment paradigm for these compounds.

Aquatic Toxicology

Accumulation of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin by rainbow trout ( Onchorhynchus mykiss ) at environmentally relevant dietary concentrations

Rainbow trout were fed a diet containing 1.8, 18, or 90 pg/g 3H-2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) for up to 320 d. Concentrations of TCDD were determined in muscle, liver, and ovaries at 100, 150, 200, and 250 d. Concentrations of TCDD reached an apparent steady-state concentration in liver after 100 d of exposure, whereas concentrations in other tissues continued to increase until 150 d of exposure. The greatest portion of the total mass of TCDD was present in the muscle tissue with lesser proportions in other organs. As the ovaries developed before spawning, an increase occurred in the total mass of TCDD present in this tissue. The assimilation rate of TCDD during the initial 100 d of the exposure was determined to be between 10 and 30%. This is somewhat less than estimates derived based on both uptake and elimination constants determined during shorter exposures. Biomagnification factors (BMFs) were estimated for all tissues and exposure concentrations, and at all exposure periods. Lipid-normalized BMFs for muscle ranged from 0.38 to 1.51, which is consistent with the value of 1.0 predicted from fugacity theory. Uptake and depuration rate constants were determined and used to predict individual organ TCDD concentrations. Comparison with observed values indicated that the model could be used to predict tissue concentrations from the known concentrations of TCDD in food. This model will allow more refined risk assessments by predicting TCDD concentrations in sensitive tissues such as developing eggs.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry