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Sublethal landrin toxicity: Behavioral and physiological effects on captive vultures
Use of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) has been proposed to reduce consumption of California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) eggs by ravens (Corvus corax). Although landrin has induced aversions in ravens and other birds, no data were available on behavioral and physiological effects of landrin on condors, non-target birds that might consume treated eggs. Because condors are endangered, we selected taxonomically related surrogates to approximate the effects on condors of acute oral doses of landrin. Seven black vultures (Coragyps atratus), 2 turkey vultures (Cathartes aura), and 2 king vultures (Sarcoramphus papa) received landrin and placebo treatments 1 week apart. Plasma cholinesterase (ChE) activity was monitored at zero, 3, and 24 hours posttreatment, and behavioral observations were made for 2 hours posttreatment. The doses tested were nonlethal, and ChE levels approached normal within 24 hours after treatment. Only the frequency of vomiting differed statistically between the placebo and landrin treatment. We conclude that with appropriate precautions, landrin can be used in applications of CTA to discourage consumption of condor eggs by ravens, while posing no apparent risk to reintroduced condors.
Repellency and toxicity of three bird control chemicals to four species of African grain-eating birds
No abstract available.
Toxicity of Prudhoe Bay crude oil to sandhill cranes
No abstract available.
Avian models for toxicity testing
The use of birds as test models in experimental and environmental toxicology as related to health effects is reviewed, and an overview of descriptive tests routinely used in wildlife toxicology is provided. Toxicologic research on birds may be applicable to human health both directly by their use as models for mechanistic and descriptive studies and indirectly as monitors of environmental quality. Topics include the use of birds as models for study of teratogenesis and embryotoxicity, neurotoxicity, behavior, trends of environmental pollution, and for use in predictive wildlife toxicology. Uses of domestic and wild-captured birds are discussed.
Effect of sewage sludge on nutrient and toxic metal content of soil and selected crops grown on tropical soils
No abstract available.
Element concentrations toxic to plants, animals, and man
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Toxicity of Mount St. Helens ash leachate to a blue-green alga
During several periods of volcanic-ash eruption at Mount St. Helens, Wash., (March 30, May 25-26, May 30-June 2, and June 12-13, 1980) strong winds from the north occurred at high altitudes. As a result, the volcanic ash fell some 50 miles to the south in the Bull Run watershed, the principal water-supply source for the metropolitan area of Portland, Oreg. Water samples collected from three stream sites within the watershed were compared with samples collected during the same season in previous years. No detectable changes were noted in chemical characteristics. Precipitation samples collected immediately after the June 12-13 ash fall ranged in specific conductance from 20 to 41 micromhos per centimeter at 25C and in pH from 4.0 to 4.3 pH units. Stream samples collected during the May-June period ranged in specific conductance from 18 to 28 micromhos per centimeter at 25C and in pH from 6.7 to 7.5 pH units. Volcanic-ash samples were collected and analyzed for particle size, chemical composition, and weight. Significant differences in particle size of ash were found in samples from two separate eruptions. (USGS)
Data compilation for assessing sediment and toxic chemical loads from the Green River to the lower Duwamish Waterway, Washington
Between February and June 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey collected representative samples of whole water, suspended sediment, and (or) bed sediment from a single strategically located site on the Duwamish River, Washington, during seven periods of different flow conditions. Samples were analyzed by Washington-State-accredited laboratories for a large suite of compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other semivolatile compounds, polychlorinated biphenyl Aroclors and the 209 congeners, metals, dioxins/furans, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, butyltins, hexavalent chromium, and total organic carbon. Chemical concentrations associated with bulk bed sediment (<2 mm) and fine bed sediment (<62.5 μm) fractions were compared to chemical concentrations associated with suspended sediment. Bulk bed sediment concentrations generally were lower than fine bed sediment and suspended-sediment concentrations. Concurrent with the chemistry sampling, additional parameters were measured, including instantaneous river discharge, suspended-sediment concentration, sediment particle-size distribution, and general water-quality parameters. From these data, estimates of instantaneous sediment and chemical loads from the Green River to the Lower Duwamish Waterway were calculated.
Health effects of toxic organic compounds from coal; the case Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN)
Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) is a serious kidney disease that occurs only in clusters of rural villages located in tributary valleys of the Danube River in the Balkan Peninsula. It is believed that at least 25,000 persons are suffering from BEN or are suspected of having the disease and that the total number of people at risk may exceed 100,000. BEN was first described as a distinct medical entity in 1956, but it may have existed undescribed for many centuries. The geographic distribution of the disease has not changed significantly since the 1950's. Villages afflicted in the past continue to have cases of BEN, while villages with no history of BEN (some of which are only a few miles from affected villages) have remained free of this disease. Work by the U.S. Geological Survey and others in the early 1990's noted the close correspondence between the location of the affected villages and the occurrence of coal deposits, specifically lignites deposited in the Pliocene Epoch 5.3 million to 1.6 million years ago.
Chemical pollutants and toxic effects on benthic organisms, Biscayne Bay: a pilot study preceding Florida Everglades restoration
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Determining the toxicity potential of mine-waste piles
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Acute Toxicity of the Lampricides TFM and Niclosamide to Three Species of Unionid Mussels
The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), a jawless parasitic eel-like fish native to the Atlantic Ocean (fig. 1), was accidentally introduced into the Great Lakes in the early 20th century through the construction of shipping canals. A member of the Petromyzonidae family, the primitive parasite has been identified as a major cause of the collapse of the Great Lakes fishery in the 1940s and 1950s. The lampricides 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and 2'5-dichloro-4'-nitrosalicylanilide (niclosamide) have been used to control larval sea lampreys in tributaries of the Great Lakes since the early 1960s. The lampricide TFM is the main compound used to keep sea lamprey populations in check while niclosamide is used primarily in combination with TFM as a cost-saving measure. The addition of niclosamide at a ratio of 1% to TFM will reduce the amount of TFM required for effective treatment by about 40%.
Toxicity of selected elements to plants, animals, and man; an outline
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