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Cadmium and mercury in sediment and burrowing mayfly nymphs (Hexagenia) in the upper Mississippi River, USA

Longitudinal patterns in the cadmium and mercury content of burrowing mayflies ( Hexagenia ) and surrounding sediments were examined along a 572-km reach of the upper Mississippi River. Surficial sediments and Hexagenia nymphs were sampled in 1989 at 12 sites extending from Pool 2 through Pool 16 and analyzed for total recoverable cadmium and total mercury. In sediment and nymphs, concentrations of both metals were highest in Pools 2, 3, and 4, which are just downstream from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota) metropolitan area, the primary anthropogenic source of metals to the studied reach of river. Concentrations of the two metals in sediments indicated a significant anthropogenic contribution, which was most pronounced for cadmium. The cadmium concentrations in surficial sediment varied less than 3-fold (range, 1.19–3.23 μg/g dry weight) among the 12 sites, whereas concentrations in Hexagenia varied almost 20-fold (range, 0.13–2.35 μg/g dry weight). Nymphs from Pools 2–4 had much greater concentrations of cadmium than nymphs from sites further downstream, even though the mean concentration of cadmium in sediment from Pools 2–4 (3.0 μg/g) was just twice that (1.6 μg/g) for the nine sites downstream. Mercury in sediments from the 12 sites ranged from 0.038 to 0.165 μg/g dry weight, averaging 0.14 μg/g in Pools 2–4 and 0.056 μg/g in the nine sites downstream. In nymphs, mercury concentrations ranged from 0.041 to 0.134 μg/g dry weight. The bioavailability of sediment-associated cadmium seemed greater in Pools 2, 3, and 4 than in the sites further downstream, based on the relative cadmium concentrations in Hexagenia nymphs and sediment. Moreover, it is concluded that the trapping of sediment and associated metals in Lake Pepin (a natural riverine lake in Pool 4) significantly reduces the exposure of the ecosystem further downstream to metals from the Twin Cities and other upstream anthropogenic sources.

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin↗

Bioconcentration of 5,5′,6 -trichlorobiphenyl and pentachlorophenol in the midge, Chironomus riparius, as measured by a pharmacokinetic model

A two compartment pharmacokinetic model was developed which describes the uptake and elimination of 5,5′,6-trichlorobiphenyl (TCB) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) in the midge, Chironomus riparius. C. riparius were exposed to nominal TCB (2 μg L −1 ) and PCP (9 μg L −1 ) concentrations during a 16 h static uptake phase. Depuration was determined over approximately 45 h using a flowthrough system without feeding. The uptake clearance (P) was 330±61 ml g −1 midge h −1 for TCB and 55±4 ml g −1 midge h −1 for PCP, while measured bioconcentration factors (BCF) were 35,900 and 458 for TCB and PCP, respectively. Overall, the clearance-volume-based pharmacokinetic model predicted BCF values that were consistent with published values as well as with BCF values obtained from the octanol-water partition coefficient (K OW ).

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

A mass spectroscopic method for analysis of AHH-inducing and other polychlorinated biphenyl congeners and selected pesticides in fish

The 209 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners exhibit a wide range in toxicity to fish, birds, and mammals. This paper discusses the use of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry negative chemical ionization (GC/MS-NCI) to quantify congeners of highly suspected toxicity such as IUPAC #77 (3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl) and #126 (3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl). GC/MS analysis time needed to produce the necessary resolution was reduced to 1 h per sample or standard, allowing an autosampler to inject 12 samples in 24 hours, plus 12 standards/QC samples. Identification and quantification of some 60+ congeners and several selected pesticides and estimation of total PCBs are also possible within the 1 h analysis. For congeners of high chlorination (penta through octa), the method exhibited excellent sensitivity, such that we could not locate a fish which exhibited PCB levels below our calibrated quantitation range. NCI was not as sensitive for mono through tri and for some tetrachlorinated PCB congeners, an exception being PCB #77, for which sensitivity was of the same order as for the more highly chlorinated biphenyls. Long term stability was excellent. Over a 6-mo period, results of replicate analyses for PCB congeners and pesticides in a composited sample of lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) from Lake Michigan had a relative standard deviation of 12% of the mean. Over the same time period, mean recoveries for samples spiked at concentrations similar to those in Lake Michigan lake trout were 90-102%. Response was linear over a wide range of concentrations for each of the analyzed compounds. This method is now being used for routine analysis of PCB congeners and selected pesticides in our laboratory.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Cadmium and mercury in emergent mayflies ( Hexagenia bilineata ) from the upper Mississippi River

Burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia bilineata) were analyzed to assess longitudinal patterns in their cadmium and mercury content along the upper Mississippi River. Emergent mayflies (subimagoes and imagoes) were collected in 1988 at 34 sites (25 navigation pools), extending 1260 km from Little Falls, Minnesota, downstream to St. Louis, Missouri. Cadmium concentrations in composite samples of whole mayflies ranged from 7 to 219 ng/g dry weight in females and from <7 to 265 ng/g in males. Cadmium concentrations were highest (~> 150 ng/g) in samples from Pools 2 and 3 (downstream from the Twin Cities metropolitan area), 15 (near the Quad Cities metropolitan area), and 27 (near the St. Louis metropolitan area). Cadmium concentrations in female mayflies decreased significantly with distance downstream from Pool 2 at river mile 825 to Pool 9 at river mile 648, paralleling spatial trends in the cadmium contamination of sediments in the reach downstream from the Twin Cities metropolitan area, reported in earlier studies; cadmium burdens in mayflies followed a similar spatial trend. Concentrations of mercury were much less variable, ranging from 44 to 102 ng/g dry weight in female mayflies and from 60 to 177 ng/g in males; concentrations and burdens were highest in mayflies collected at Pools 2, 20, 22, 25, and 27. Mercury concentrations in females decreased significantly with distance downstream from Pool 2 at river mile 825 to Pool 5A at fiver mile 728.5. Concentrations of mercury and cadmium in composite samples of female mayflies were not correlated, indicating dissimilar longitudinal patterns in concentrations of the two metals. Concentrations and burdens of both metals varied significantly between males and females; consequently, we recommend that programs involving analyses of mayflies to survey or monitor metals in aquatic systems analyze separately males and females.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Overwinter survival of mallards fed selenium

Adult male mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ) were fed diets supplemented with 0, 10, 20, 40, or 80 μg/g selenium in the form of selenomethionine. Mortality in each of these treatments was 0, 0, 25, 95, and 100%, respectively, during a 16-week exposure that started in November. After one week of treatment, body weights were significantly depressed by the 20, 40, and 80-μg/g selenium treatments, but not by 10 μg/g selenium. Four weeks after being returned to an untreated diet, the body weight of birds fed 20 μg/g selenium had increased to the point of being statistically inseparable from the weight of controls. Signs of selenium poisoning in the dead included severe emaciation, mottling of the liver, empty gizzard, and the presence of a yellowish fluid around some organs. Concentrations of selenium in blood were related to dietary treatments, but mortality was not clearly related to a threshold concentration of selenium in blood.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Effects of dietary nickel on survival and growth of mallard ducklings

Mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ) ducklings were fed nickel sulphate in their diet from day one to 90 days of age. Ducklings fed 1,200 ppm nickel began to tremor and show signs of paresis after 14 days of dosage (age) and 71% of this group died within 60 days of age. Birds fed 1,200 ppm nickel weighed significantly less ( P <0.05) at 28 days of age than birds fed the other diets. Weights of ducklings fed untreated food or dietary dosages of 200 and 800 ppm nickel diets were not significantly different ( P >0.05). The weight/length ratio of the humerus (an expression of bone density) from the 800 ppm diet females was significantly lower ( P <0.05) than the control fed females at 30 and 60 days and for all ducklings fed 1,200 ppm at 30 days of age. The organ-weight/body-weight ratios for heart, liver, and gizzard did not differ from controls or between any dosage group. Liver nickel residues from ducklings that died during this study ranged between 1.0 to 22.7 ppm and kidney residues ranged between 2.7 to 74.4 ppm. Liver and kidney tissues from all ducklings that survived to 90 days of age contained less than 1.0 ppm nickel.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Effects of petroleum on adrenocortical activity and on hepatic naphthalene-metabolizing activity in mallard ducks

Unstressed mallard ducks ( Anas platyrhychos ), given uncontaminated food and maintained on a short photoperiod, show two daily maxima in plasma corticosterone concentration ([B]); one occurring early in the light phase and a second just before the onset of darkness. After one week of exposure to food containing 3% (v/w) South Louisiana crude oil, plasma [B] were significantly lowered throughout the day. Similar abrupt declines in plasma [B] also occurred during the first 10 days of exposure to food containing 1% and 0.5% crude oil. Although the plasma [B] in birds consuming food contaminated with 0.5% crude oil increased between 10 and 50 days of exposure, the concentration after 50 days was still lower than normal. During the same interval, normal plasma [B] were restored in birds consuming food containing 1% and 3% crude oil. Significant increases occurred in the naphthalene-metabolizing properties of hepatic microsomes prepared from birds acutely exposed to all levels of petroleum-contaminated food and elevated levels were sustained throughout the first 50 days of exposure. Birds given food containing 3% crude oil for more than 50 days, however, showed steady declines in hepatic naphthalene-metabolizing activity. After 500 days, the activity was similar to that found in contemporaneous controls. During the same interval, the plasma [B] increased until the levels were higher than normal after 500 days of exposure; at this time, an inverse relationship, similar to that seen during the first week of exposure to contaminated food, was once more established between plasma [B] and the concomitant hepatic naphthalene-metabolizing activity.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Ingestion of petroleum by breeding mallard ducks: Some effects on neonatal progeny

Breeding female mallard ducks consuming petroleum-contaminated food show significant induced increases in the naphthalene-metabolizing properties of microsomes prepared from their livers. Food contaminated with South Louisiana crude oil was more potent than food contaminated with similar concentrations of Prudhoe Bay crude oil and in each instance food contaminated with 3% (v/w) induced greater increases than food contaminated at the 1% level. These increases in hepatic naphthalene-metabolizing activity may reflect their responses to circulating petroleum contaminants derived from ingested crude oil. When incubated, fertilized eggs laid by the females consuming South Louisiana crude oil yielded ducklings that upon emergence possessed high levels of naphthalene-metabolizing activity associated with hepatic microsomes. In contrast, ducklings derived from eggs laid by females consuming food contaminated with Prudhoe Bay crude oil showed no increases in total hepatic naphthalene-metabolizing activity and only those ducklings hatched from eggs laid by females consuming food contaminated with 3% crude oil showed significantly induced levels of specific naphthalene-metabolizing activity at hatching. During the first week of postnatal life both the uncontaminated ducklings and the ducklings hatched from eggs laid by females consuming food contaminated with South Louisiana crude oil showed initial transient rises in specific and total hepatic naphthalene-metabolizing activity. In each instance, these rises were proportional to the level of contamination in the food consumed by the females. Thereafter, the specific activities of the naphthalene-metabolizing enzyme in all ducklings declined to the level found at hatching in uncontaminated ducklings. Similarly, the total hepatic naphthalene-metabolizing activities in ducklings derived from females consuming food contaminated with 3% crude oil also declined to the level at hatching in uncontaminated ducklings. In contrast, after one week, ducklings hatched from eggs laid by females consuming food contaminated with 1% crude oil showed total hepatic naphthalene-metabolizing activities that were more than twice those found at hatching.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Accumulation of 14C-naphthalene in the tissues of redhead ducks fed oil-contaminated crayfish

Crayfish, artificially contaminated with 14 C-naphthalene-5% water-soluble fraction of No. 2 fuel oil, were force-fed to one-year-old redhead ducks to determine the accumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons. The relative distribution of carbon-14 activity in the gall bladder containing bile, and fat were similar, and significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the activity in the blood, brain, liver, and kidney. There was a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the disintegrations per minute per gram (dpm/g) in the blood, brain, kidney, and liver between days 1 and 3 of feeding, indicating a progressive accumulation of carbon-14 activity (naphthalene and presumably its metabolites). There was no significant effect of sex or the interaction of the duration of feeding and sex on carbon-14 activity in any of the tissues. The low daily dose of petroleum hydrocarbons (a total of approximately 1.25 mg/day) received by the ducks from the crayfish and the relatively short feeding regimen did not cause any overt signs of toxicity in the ducks.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Use of blood levels to infer carcass levels of contaminants

Inferences may be made about the carcass levels of a contaminant based on the contaminant level in blood samples. A method is given for comparing such populations that utilizes bivariate normal distributions and their principal axes, thereby avoiding a dilemma arising from the use of regression techniques. Confidence intervals and power calculations are given. Data from captive barn owls provide partial justification for the use of this method.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Selenium accumulation and elimination in mallards

Selenium accumulation and loss were measured in adult mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ) fed selenomethionine during two experiments. In Experiment 1, both sexes were fed a diet containing 10 ppm selenium for 6 weeks, followed by 6 weeks on untreated feed. Selenium accumulation in liver and muscle of females was described by C=A(1−e −bt ). Concentrations of selenium were predicted to reach 95% of equilibrium faster in liver (7.8 days) than in muscle (81 days). The loss of selenium from liver and muscle of females was described by the exponential loss rate equation: C=Ae −bt , with half-times of 18.7 and 30.1 days, respectively. Males reached similar levels of selenium in liver and breast muscle as females and declined to similar levels once selenium treatment ended. In Experiment 2, females were fed increasing levels of selenium until some died. Survivors were switched to an untreated diet and selenium was measured in blood, liver, and breast muscle over 64 days. The same equation as in Experiment 1, C=Ae −bt , was used to describe the loss of selenium from blood and muscle. Halftimes were 9.8 and 23.9 days, respectively. For liver, the equation C C = A 1 e &#x2212; b 1 t + A 2 e &#x2212; b 2 t "> = A 1 e −b 1 t + A 2 e −b 2 t was used. Selenium initially decreased in liver by one-half in 3.3 days, with subsequent half-times of 3.9, 6.0, and 45.1 days.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Behavioral indicators of sublethal toxicity in rainbow trout

Four measures of behavior-spontaneous swimming activity, swimming capacity, feeding behavior, and vulnerability to predation-were assessed as indicators of sublethal toxicity in rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) in 96-hr exposures to sublethal concentrations of six agricultural chemicals: carbaryl, chlordane, dimethylamine salt of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-DMA), tributyl phosphorotrithioate (DBF 1), methyl parathion, and pentachlorophenol. After exposures, behavioral changes consistently demonstrated sublethal toxicity, but effects on specific behaviors varied with contaminants and their concentrations were altered by the water quality criterion concentration for chlordane (2 μg/L), and at a concentration of DEF (5 μg/L) that had previously been shown to inhibit growth and survival after a 90-day exposure. Feeding behavior was inhibited most by exposure to DEF, 2,4-DMA, and methyl parathion. Vulnerability to predation was heightened most by exposure to carbaryl and pentachlorophenol. Although all chemicals inhibited spontaneous swimming activity, only carbaryl, DEF, and 2,4-DMA influenced swimming capacity.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Acid precipitation and food quality: Inhibition of growth and survival in black ducks and mallards by dietary aluminum, calcium and phosphorus

In areas impacted by acid precipitation, water chemistry of acidic ponds and streams often changes, resulting in increased mobilization of aluminum and decreased concentration of calcium carbonate. Aluminum binds with phosphorus and inhibits its uptake by organisms. Thus, invertebrate food organisms used by waterfowl may have inadequate Ca and P or elevated Al for normal growth and development. Acid rain and its effects may be one of the factors negatively impacting American black ducks ( Anas rubripes ) in eastern North America. One-day old mallards ( A. platyrhynchos ) and black ducks were placed on one of three Ca:P regimens: low:low (LL), normal:normal (NN), and low:high (LH) with each regimen divided further into three or four Al levels for 10 weeks. Forty-five % of the black ducks died on nine different diets whereas only 28% of the mallards died on three different diets. Mortality was significantly related to diet in both species. Growth rates for body weight, culmens, wings, and tarsi of both species on control diets exceeded those on many treatment diets but the differences were less apparent for mallards than for black ducks. Differences among treatments were due to both Ca:P and A1 levels.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Effect of pH on the accumulation kinetics of pentachlorophenol in goldfish

The kinetics of accumulation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) at various pH values were investigated to explore how pH-dependent accumulation might influence PCP toxicity. Goldfish (Carassius auratus) were exposed to 5 μg PCP/L in a static system buffered with 7.5 mM bicine or N,N -bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-aminoethane sulfonic acid (BES) at pH 7.0, 8.0, or 9.0. The amount of PCP in the fish, concentration of PCP in water, and the total amount of metabolites in the system were measured after exposure of fish from 1 to 96 hr. Equations for these variables based on a two compartment pharmacokinetic model were fitted simultaneously to the data using NONLIN, which uses an iterative nonlinear least squares technique. Uptake clearance, metabolic clearance, and apparent volume of distribution of PCP decreased as pH increased. The decrease in PCP accumulation with increased pH was not due solely to a pH-induced decrease in uptake. In addition, the distribution of PCP within the fish was altered by changes in the external pH. The pH-associated changes in distribution may have altered access of PCP to sites of metabolism, thereby altering the metabolic clearance. The pH-related changes in the pharmacokinetics of PCP resulted in a decrease in its bioconcentration factor with an increase in pH and account both for the decreased capacity of the fish to accumulate PCP and for its reduced LC50.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Lead accumulation and depression of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) in young birds fed automotive waste oil

The effects of a 3-week dietary exposure to automotive waste crankcase oil (WCO) were examined in 1-week-old mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ) ducklings and pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus ) chicks. Treatment groups consisted of birds exposed to 0.5, 1.5, or 4.5% WCO, to 4.5% clean crankcase oil (CCO), or untreated controls. In both species, red blood cell ALAD activity was significantly inhibited after one week by 50 to 60% in the 0.5% WCO group and by 85 to 90% in the 4.5% WCO group due to the presence of lead. Growth, hematocrit, and hemoglobin were not significantly affected at the end of three weeks. Plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity was higher in mallards after three weeks of ingesting either 4.5% WCO or 4.5% CCO, suggesting an oil-related effect due to components other than lead. Treatment had no effect on plasma concentration of uric acid, glucose, triglycerides, total protein, or cholesterol. Lead analysis showed the WCO to contain 4,200 ppm Pb and the CCO to contain 2 ppm. Tissues of mallards were examined for accumulation of lead and the order of accumulation at the end of three weeks was kidney > liver > blood ∼ brain.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Acute toxicity of selected herbicides and surfactants to larvae of the midge Chironomus riparius

The acute toxicities of eight commercial herbicides and two surfactants to early fourth instar larvae of the midge Chironomus riparius were determined under static conditions. The formulated herbicides tested were Eradicane ® (EPTC), Fargo ® (triallate), Lasso ® (alachlor), ME4 Brominal ® (bromoxynil), Ramrod ® (propachlor), Rodeo ® (glyphosate), Sencor ® (metribuzin), and Sutan (+) ® (butylate); the two surfactants were Activator N.F. ® and Ortho X-77 ® . In addition, technical grade alachlor, metribuzin, propachlor, and triallate were tested for comparison with the formulated herbicides. The relative toxicity of the commercial formulations, based on percent active ingredient, varied considerably. The EC50 values ranged from 1.23 mg/L for Fargo ® to 5,600 mg/L for Rodeo ® . Fargo ® , ME4 Brominal ® , and Ramrod ® were moderately toxic to midge larvae; Lasso ® , Sutan (+) ® , and Eradicane ® were slightly toxic; and Sencor ® and Rodeo ® were practically non-toxic. The 48-hr EC50 values of the two surfactants were nearly identical and were considered moderately toxic to midges. For two of the herbicides in which the technical grade material was tested, the inert ingredients in the formulations had a significant effect on the toxicity of the active ingredients. Fargo ® was twice as toxic as technical grade triallate, whereas Sencor ® was considerably less toxic than technical grade metribuzin. A comparison of the slope function values indicated that the toxic action of all the compounds occurred within a relatively narrow range. Published acute toxicity data on these compounds for other freshwater biota were tabulated and compared with our results. In general, the relative order of toxicity to C. riparius was similar to those for other freshwater invertebrates and fish. Maximum concentrations of each herbicide in bulk runoff during a projected “critical” runoff event were calculated as a percentage of the application rate lost in a given volume of runoff. A comparison between estimated maximum herbicide concentrations in runoff and results of acute tests indicated that Ramrod ® , ME4 Brominal ® , and Lasso ® pose the greatest direct risk to midge larvae during a storm event.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

Selenium in wetlands and waterfowl foods at Kesterson Reservoir, California, 1984

Kesterson Reservoir (Kesterson) received subsurface agricultural drainwater containing high levels of salts and selenium from farmland in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The accumulation of selenium in wetlands and waterfowl foods at Kesterson was investigated during May, August, and December of 1984. High concentrations of selenium were found in water, sediments, terrestrial and aquatic vegetation, and aquatic insects. Mean selenium concentrations in aquatic plants and insects ranged from 1.5 to 170 (μg/g dry weight and were about 11 to 290 times those found at a nearby reference site. Concentrations in some waterfowl food plants and insects at Kesterson were up to 64 times those reported to be a health hazard to birds. Selenium concentrations were more seasonally variable in aquatic plants than in aquatic insects. Few differences in selenium accumulation were found among ponds. Deposition of selenium in plant parts was not uniform; rhizomes contained higher concentrations than seeds and leaves were intermediate. Most biota bioaccumulated maximum selenium concentrations that were 1,000 to nearly 5,000 times the concentration in the water.

California↗

Lead poisoning in six captive avian species

Red-winged blackbirds ( Agelaius phoeniceus ), brown-headed cowbirds ( Molothrus ater ), common grackles ( Quiscalus quiscula ), mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ), northern bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus ), and eastern screech-owls ( Otus asio ) were poisoned with a concentration of lead (Pb) acetate in the diet which was increased by 60% each week until half of the birds in each treatment group died; surviving birds and all control birds except screech-owis were then killed by euthanasia. An additional group of mallards was poisoned with Pb shot. The gizzards of mallards poisoned either way usually were stained with bile; some of these birds also had proventricular impaction. Most poisoned birds of the other species were emaciated but lacked other gross lesions caused by Pb poisoning. In birds other than mallards, Pb poisoning could not be diagnosed without histological or hematological examinations or analysis of tissues. Poisoned birds of all six species could be reliably separated from control birds by an increase in the protoporphyrin concentrations in the blood and by a decrease in the activity of delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) in red blood cells. Hepatic iron (Fe) concentrations varied so much among individual birds that even though median hepatic Fe concentrations increased in poisoned birds, hepatic Fe concentrations were not useful in identifying poisoned birds. Renal intranuclear inclusion bodies occurred in 83% of all birds dying from Pb poisoning. Nephrosis, myocardial necrosis, and arterial fibrinoid necrosis were occasionally present. Median hepatic Pb concentrations varied from 20 ppm (wet wt) in male red-winged blackbirds to 111 ppm in female northern bobwhites. Median renal Pb concentrations varied from 22 ppm in redwinged blackbirds to 190 ppm in female northern bobwhites. Hepatic and renal Pb concentrations varied substantially among birds within each species. Median hepatic and renal Pb concentrations of birds that died were not statistically different ( p > 0.05) from those of birds that were killed. Lead shot and Pb acetate affected mallards similarly.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗