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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2020

Accidental chlorophacinone exposure of lactating ewes: Clinical follow-up and human health dietary implications

Anticoagulant rodenticides are widely used for rodent control in agricultural and urban settings. Their intense use can sometimes result in accidental exposure and even poisoning of livestock. Can milk, eggs or meat derived from such accidentally exposed animals be consumed by humans? Data on the pharmacokinetics of chlorophacinone in milk of accidentally exposed ewes were used to estimate the risk associated with its consumption. Three days after accidental ingestion, chlorophacinone was detected in plasma of 18 ewes, with concentrations exceeding 100 ng/mL in 11 animals. Chlorophacinone was detected in milk on day 2 post-exposure and remained quantifiable for at least 7 days in milk of these 11 ewes. Concentrations in milk were much lower than in plasma and decreased quickly (mean half-life of 2 days). This study demonstrated dose-dependent mammary transfer of ingested chlorophacinone. Variation in prothrombin time (PT) on Day 3 suggested that some of the ewes that ingested chlorophacinone may have been adversely affected, but PT did not facilitate estimation of the quantity of chlorophacinone consumed. Using safety factors described in the literature, consumption of dairy products derived from these ewes after a one-week withdrawal period would pose low risk to consumers.

Creuse↗
USGS1993

A comparison of water quality criteria for the Great Lakes based on human and wildlife health

Water quality criteria (WQC) can be derived in several ways. The usual techniques involve hazard and risk assessment procedures. For non-persistent, non-biomagnified compounds and elements, WQC are experimentally derived from their acute and chronic toxicity to aquatic organisms. For those persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons (PCHs) that are bioaccumulated and biomagnified, these traditional techniques have not been effective, partly because effects higher in the food web were not considered. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are the bioaccumulative synthetic chemicals of primary toxicological significance to the Great Lakes biota which have caused widespread injury to wildlife. In the Laurentian Great Lakes, the primary emphasis of hazard assessments has been on the potential for adverse effects in humans who eat fish. The primary regulatory endpoint of traditional hazard and risk assessments underlying current WQC are the probabilities of additional cancers occurring in the human population. The analysis presented here indicates that this is not adequate to restore sensitive wildlife species that are highly exposed to PCBs, especially those that have suffered serious population declines. Because WQC are legal instruments, the methods of deriving WQC have large implications for remediation, litigation, and damage assessments. Here WQC are derived for six species based on the responses of wildlife in the field or produced by feeding fish to surrogate species, rather than projecting a potential of increased cancer rates in humans. If the most sensitive wildlife species are restored and protected for very sensitive reproductive endpoints, then all components of the ecosystem, including human health, should be more adequately protected. The management of Great Lakes wildlife requires an understanding of the injury and causal relationships to persistent toxic substances.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗
USGS1986

Lethal Dietary Toxicities of Environmental Contaminants and Pesticides to Coturnix

Five-day subacute dietary toxicity tests of 193 potential environmental contaminants, pesticides, organic solvents, and various adjuvants are presented for young coturnix (Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica Temminck and Schlegel). The report provides the most comprehensive data base available for avian subacute dietary toxicity tests and is primarily intended for use in ranking toxicities by a standard method that has a reasonable degree of environmental relevance. Findings are presented in two parts: Part I is a critique of selected drugs that includes discussion of subacute toxicity in relation to chemical class and structure, pesticide formulation, and age of animals; Part II is a summary of toxicologic findings for each test substance and provides a statistically basis for comparing toxicities. Data presented include the median lethal concentration (LC50), slope of the probit regression curve (dose-response curve), response chronology, and food consumption. We observed that: 1) fewer than 15% of the compounds were classed 'very' or 'highly' toxic (i.e, LC50 < 200 ppm) and all of these were either chlorinated hydrocarbons, organophosphates, or organometallics; 2) subacute toxicity may vary widely among structurally similar chemicals and between different formulations of the same chemical; therefore, conclusions about lethal hazard must be made cautiously until the actual formulation of inset has been tested: 3) inclusion of a general standard in each battery of tests is useful for detection of atypical trials and monitoring population changes but should not be used indiscriminantly for adjusting LC50's for intertest differences unless the chemicals of concern and the standard elicit their toxicities through the same action; 4) although other species have been tested effectively under the subacute protocol, coturnix were ideal for the stated purpose of this research because they are inexpensive, well-adapted to the laboratory environment, and yield good intertest reproducibility of response.

Fish and Wildlife Technical Report↗
USGS1990

Dicofol (Kelthane®)-induced eggshell thinning in captive american kestrels

Reproductive parameters of American kestrels ( Falco sparverius ) were measured through two breeding seasons. Exposure to Kelthane® (containing no DDT-related compounds) at dietary concentrations of 0 (control), 1,3, 10 and 30 μg/g (wet weight) began in late November before, and continued through, the second season. Kelthane thinned eggshells and lowered the thickness index at dietary concentrations ≥3 μg/g and it reduced shell weight at ≥10μg/g when comparisons were to concurrent controls. Kelthane reduced the thickness index at ≥3 μg/g and it reduced shell thickness and weight at ≥10 μg/g when comparisons were to the same birds during the previous season. All changes were dose-related. It was not previously known that as little as 3 μg/g dicofol could cause these effects. Kestrels resembled previously studied eastern screech-owls ( Otus asio ) in that 10 μg/g reduced hatchability of eggs. Both these raptors showed eggshell changes without serious effects on production of young. Available data show dicofol only equal to or less effective than DDE as a shell-thinning agent. Also, DDE may have more impact than dicofol on such critical aspects of reproduction as egg hatchability and survivability of hatchlings. Field studies of dicofol residues in food chains and of residue concentrations in eggs vs. nesting success from areas of heavy dicofol use are needed to judge this chemical's ecological impact.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS2026

A review of extraction techniques for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in graminaceous plants

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a wide-ranging class of manufactured chemicals that are environmentally persistent. Due to their ubiquity and resistance to degradation, PFAS readily bioaccumulate in a variety of environmental matrices and elicit a range of toxicological impacts. Despite an increase in research into these compounds, there is a clear gap in consensus on extraction techniques to quantify many PFAS in certain environmental media, particularly at critical points in agricultural food systems such as pasture grasses and feedstocks. Developing methods for more comprehensive and accurate extraction of PFAS in plant tissues is crucial for the biomonitoring of PFAS contamination in these ecosystems. This review seeks to identify relevant information pertaining to the partitioning of PFAS in plant matrices and evaluate the performance of previously established methods for the extraction of PFAS in graminaceous plants. Evaluated methods varied widely in extraction techniques, limits of detection and accuracy. This review provides a framework for enhancing PFAS analysis by tailoring extraction and cleanup strategies to both complex plant matrices and diverse analyte properties. Standardizing these methodologies will provide the high-quality data essential for ecotoxicologists and policymakers to accurately map the metabolic fate and ecological risks of these pollutants across food webs.

Critical Reviews in Analytical Chemistry↗
USGS2005

Multiple sublethal chemicals negatively affect tadpoles of the green frog, Rana clamitans

Many habitats may be exposed to multiple chemical contaminants, particularly in agricultural areas where fertilizer and pesticide use are common; however, the singular and interactive effects of contaminants are not well understood. The objective of our study was to examine how realistic, sublethal environmental levels of ammonium nitrate fertilizer (0, 10, 20 mg/L and ammonium chloride control) and the common insecticide carbaryl (0 or 2.5 mg/L) individually and interactively affect the development, size, and survival of green frog ( Rana clamitans ) tadpoles. We reared tadpoles for 95 d in outdoor 1,000-L polyethylene ponds. We found that the combination of carbaryl and nitrate had a negative effect on development and mass of tadpoles compared to the positive effect that either contaminant had alone. Presence of carbaryl was generally associated with short-term increases in algal resources, including ponds exposed to both carbaryl and nitrate. However, with exposure to nitrate and carbaryl, tadpole mass and development were not positively affected as with one chemical stressor alone. The combination of these sublethal contaminants may reduce the ability of amphibians to benefit from food-rich environments or have metabolic costs. Our study demonstrates the importance of considering multiple stressors when evaluating population-level responses.

Environmental Toxicology↗
USGS1984

Presence and biomagnification of organochlorine chemical residues in oxbow lakes of northeastern Louisiana

Ninety-eight samples of 16 species of animals were collected at Lake Providence, 88 samples of 15 species at Lake Bruin, and 21 samples of 5 species at Lake St. John, Louisiana, between 15 July and 25 September 1980. Residues of 13 organochlorine compounds were identified in these samples. Substantial concentrations of many of these compounds throughout the food webs of all three lakes showed that the lakes act as sumps, accumulating residues from nearby agricultural land. DDT and its metabolites (DDE, TDE, and DDMU), toxaphene, and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) were the principal Organochlorine residues detected. With few exceptions, biomagnification of the principal residues was clearly illustrated. Tertiary consumers such as green-backed heron ( Butorides striatus ), snakes, spotted gar ( Lepisosteus oculatus ), and largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ) contained the highest residues. Bluegill ( Lepomis macrochims ), blacktail shiner ( Notopis venustus ), yellow-crowned night-heron ( Nycticorax violaceus ), and other secondary consumers contained lower levels of residues. Primary consumers, crayfish ( Orconectes lancifer ) and threadfin shad ( Dorosoma petenense ), contained relatively low residue levels of most of the compounds. Frogs contained lower residue levels than expected based on their position in the food web. It is suggested that residue levels in immature green-backed herons and one or more of the longer-lived predators such as snakes, gars, or largemouth bass could be monitored to evaluate levels of Organochlorine chemical contaminants in aquatic habitats.

Louisiana↗
USGS2021

Insect-mediated contaminant flux at the land–water interface: Are ecological subsidies driving exposure or is exposure driving subsidies?

Chemical contamination of freshwaters is a global problem. In the United States alone, millions of kilometers of rivers and hectares of lakes and wetlands are impaired from contamination by chemicals including mercury, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and trace metals (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2017 ). Efforts to mitigate the risks of contamination have largely focused on aquatic endpoints. However, these contaminants pose a risk not only to life in freshwater ecosystems but also to the terrestrial organisms that depend on freshwater ecosystems for food.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS2023

Wildlife ecological risk assessment in the 21st century: Promising technologies to assess toxicological effects

Despite advances in toxicity testing and development of new approach methodologies (NAMs) for hazard assessment, the ecological risk assessment (ERA) framework for terrestrial wildlife (i.e., air-breathing amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) has remained unchanged for decades. While survival, growth, and reproductive endpoints derived from whole animal toxicity tests are central to hazard assessment, non-standard measures of biological effects at multiple levels of biological organization (e.g., molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, organism, population, community, ecosystem) have potential to enhance the relevance of prospective and retrospective wildlife ERAs. Other factors (e.g., indirect effects of contaminants on food supplies and infectious disease processes) are influenced by toxicants at individual, population, and community levels, and need to be factored into chemically-based risk assessments to enhance the “eco” component of ERAs. Regulatory and logistical challenges often relegate such non-standard endpoints and indirect effects to post-registration evaluations of pesticides and industrial chemicals, and contaminated site evaluations. While NAMs are being developed, to date their applications in ERAs focused on wildlife have been limited. No single magic tool or model will address all uncertainties in hazard assessment. Modernizing wildlife ERAs will likely entail combinations of laboratory and field-derived data at multiple levels of biological organization, knowledge collection solutions (e.g., systematic review, adverse outcome pathway frameworks), and inferential methods that facilitate integrations and risk estimations focused on species, populations, interspecific extrapolations, and ecosystem services modeling, with less dependence on whole animal data and simple hazard ratios.

Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management↗
USGS2009

Osprey: Worldwide sentinel species for assessing and monitoring environmental contamination in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries

In the United States, many fish and wildlife species have been used nationwide to monitor environmental contaminant exposure and effects, including carcasses of the bald eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ), the only top avian predator regularly used in the past. Unfortunately, bald eagles are sensitive to investigator intrusion at the nest. Thus, the osprey ( Pandion haliaetus ) is evaluated as a potential sentinel species for aquatic ecosystems. Several characteristics support the choice of the osprey as a sentinel species, including: (1) fish-eating diet atop the aquatic food web, (2) long-lived with strong nest fidelity, (3) adapts to human landscapes (potentially the most contaminated), (4) tolerates short-term nest disturbance, (5) nests spatially distributed at regular intervals, (6) highly visible nests easily located for study, (7) ability to accumulate most, if not all, lipophilic contaminants, (8) known sensitivity to many contaminants, and (9) nearly a worldwide distribution. These osprey traits have been instrumental in successfully using the species to understand population distribution, abundance, and changes over time; the effects of various contaminants on reproductive success; how contaminants in prey (fish on biomass basis) contribute to egg concentrations (i.e., biomagnification factors); and spatial residue patterns. Data summarized include nesting population surveys, detailed nesting studies, and chemical analyses of osprey egg, organ, blood, and feather samples for contaminants that bioaccumulate and/or biomagnify in aquatic food webs; and biochemical evaluations of blood and various organs. Studies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and elsewhere have shown the osprey to be a useful sentinel species for monitoring selected environmental contaminants, including some emerging contaminants in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and estuaries.

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Pa↗
USGS1994

Characterization of ecological risks at the Milltown Reservoir-Clark Fork River Sediments Superfund Site, Montana

A comprehensive field and laboratory approach to the ecological risk assessment for the Milltown Reservoir-Clark Fork River Sediments Site, a Superfund site in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, has been described in the preceding reports of this series. The risk assessment addresses concerns over the ecological impacts of upstream releases of mining wastes to fisheries of the upper Clark Fork River (CFR) and the benthic and terrestrial habitats further downstream in Milltown Reservoir. The risk characterization component of the process integrated results from a triad of information sources: (a) chemistry studies of environmental media to identify and quantify exposures of terrestrial and aquatic organisms to site-related contaminants; (b) ecological or population studies of terrestrial vegetation, birds, benthic communities, and fish; and (c) in situ and laboratory toxicity studies with terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and plants, small mammals, amphibians, and fish exposed to contaminated surface water, sediments, wetland soils, and food sources. Trophic transfer studies were performed on waterfowl, mammals, and predatory birds using field measurement data on metals concentrations in environmental media and lower trophic food sources. Studies with sediment exposures were incorporated into the Sediment Quality Triad approach to evaluate risks to benthic ecology. Overall results of the wetland and terrestrial studies suggested that acute adverse biological effects were largely absent from the wetland; however, adverse effects to reproductive, growth, and physiological end points of various terrestrial and aquatic species were related to metals exposures in more highly contaminated depositional areas. Feeding studies with contaminated diet collected from the upper CFR indicated that trout are at high risk from elevated metals concentrations in surface water, sediment, and aquatic invertebrates. Integration of chemical analyses with toxicological and ecological evaluations of metal effects on the wetland and fishery has provided an important foundation for environmental decisions at this site.

Montana↗
USGS1982

Response of common grackles to dietary concentrations of four organophosphate pesticides

Behavioral and physiological responses of common grackles to dietary concentrations of dicrotophos, fenitrothion, fenthion, and methyl parathion suggest mortality was largely due to pesticide-induced anorexia. Mortality was dose related, though consumption of treated diets was reduced such that birds on different geometrically arranged concentrations of the same pesticide ingested about the same amount of toxicant. Grackles that died lost an average of 28 to 36% of their initial body weight; visible fat was absent and muscle tissue was reduced on the sternum. Mortality of birds exposed to dicrotophos increased between May and August, although chemical intake remained relatively constant, and was associated with a natural decrease in fat and flesh condition in response to increased ambient temperatures and post-nuptial molt. Food consumption in songbirds exposed to organophosphates may be reduced significantly up to 12 hr after exposure ceases because of an unknown effect of these chemicals on their feeding behavior, but not repellency. The results caution against using median lethal dietary concentrations for other than ranking chemicals based on their relative toxicity, particularly in establishing safe environmental levels, and suggest that anorexia and physiological condition may be important factors in mortality of wild birds exposed to organophosphates.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1977

Preliminary study of sources and processes of enrichment of manganese in water from University of Rhode Island supply wells

Concentrations of dissolved manganese have increased from 0.0 to as much as 3.3 mg/liter over a period of years in closely spaced University of Rhode Island supply wells. The wells tap stratified glacial deposits and derive part of their water from infiltration from a nearby river-pond system. The principal sources of the manganese seem to be coatings of oxides and other forms of manganese on granular aquifer materials and organic-rich sediments on the bottom of the pond and river. Chemical analyses of water from an observation well screened from 3 to 5 feet below the pond bottom indicate that infiltration of water through organic-rich sediments on the pond bottom is the likely cause of manganese enrichment in the well supplies. After passing through the organic layer, the water contains concentrations of manganese as high as 1.2 mg/liter. Manganese in water in concentrations that do not cause unpleasant taste is not regarded to be toxicologically significant. However, concentrations in excess of a few tenths of a milligram per liter are undesirable in public supplies and in many industrial supplies. Brown and others (21970) note that waters containing manganese in concentrations less than 0.1 mg/liter seldom prove troublesome, but that those containing more than 0.5 mg/liter may form objectionable deposits on cooked food, laundry, and plumbing fixtures. The U.S. Public health Service (1962) recommends that the concentrations of manganese in drinking and culinary water not exceed 0.05 mg/liter. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS2012

Chiral pesticides: Identification, description, and environmental implications

Anthropogenic chemicals, including pesticides, are a major source of contamination and pollution in the environment. Pesticides have many positive uses: increased food production, decreased damage to crops and structures, reduced disease vector populations, and more. Nevertheless, pesticide exposure can pose risks to humans and the environment, so various mitigation strategies are exercised to make them safer, minimize their use, and reduce their unintended environment effects. One strategy that may help achieve these goals relies on the unique properties of chirality or molecular asymmetry. Some common terms related to chirality are defined in Table 1.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS2024

The role of sediment ingestion in exposing bottom-feeding fish to chemical elements

Digesta were collected from the intestines of seven species of bottom-feeding fish to better understand the role of incidental ingestion of sediment in exposing fish to inorganic contaminants. A composite sediment tracer variable, based on concentrations of Co, Cr, Ni, Ti, V, and Y in digesta and in sediment, was calculated to estimate sediment content of digesta. Concentration factors (mg/kg in digesta divided by mg/kg in sediment) of eight elements of interest were linearly regressed on this tracer variable. The relative importance of sediment ingestion to oral exposure was quantified. Zinc, Cd, and Cu were ingested mainly from sediment-free food. Arsenic, Cr, Ni, Al, and Pb, in contrast, were ingested mainly from sediment. As an example, 93% of the Ni in digesta from a brown bullhead ( Ameiurus nebulosus ) was from sediment and only 7% from food. Regressions of Al and Pb in digesta of suckers (Catostomidae) suggested an additional oral source, possibly from oxides coating biotic or abiotic surfaces. Overall, concentrations of 12 of 21 elements studied were positively correlated with sediment content ( p < 0.005). Including sediment ingestion as a pathway for bottom-feeding fish is essential for accurately estimating exposures in toxicological studies.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS2006

Use of the oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus, as a prey organism for toxicant exposure of fish through the diet

The oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus, has several characteristics that make it desirable as a prey organism for conducting dietary exposure studies with fish. We conducted 21- and 30-d experiments with young fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), respectively, to determine whether a diet consisting solely of L. variegatus would support normal growth and to compare performance with standard diets (Artemia nauplii, frozen brine shrimp, or trout chow). All diets were readily accepted, and fish survived and grew well. Food conversion in both fathead minnows and rainbow trout was as high as or higher for the oligochaete diet compared with others, although this comparison is influenced by differences in ration, ingestion rate, or both. The oligochaete diet had gross nutritional analysis similar to the other diets, and meets fish nutrition guidelines for protein and essential amino acids. Methodologies and practical considerations for successfully using oligochaetes as an experimental diet are discussed. Considering their ready acceptance by fish, their apparent nutritional sufficiency, the ease of culturing large numbers, and the ease with which they can be loaded with exogenous chemicals, we believe that L. variegatus represents an excellent choice of exposure vector for exposing fish to toxicants via the diet. ?? 2006 SETAC.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS1985

Acute oral toxicity and repellency of 933 chemicals to house and deer mice

Five individual bioassay repellency or toxicity variables were estimated or determined for deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus ) and house mice ( Mus musculus ) under laboratory conditions. ALD's (Approximate Lethal Doses) or LD 50 's of 230 chemicals to deer mice are presented, as are food reduction (FR) values (3-day feeding test as a 2.0% treatment rate) for white wheat seeds ( Triticum aestivum ) for 696 chemicals and Douglas fir seeds ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) for 81 chemicals. A similar repellency evaluation (REP) using a 5-day test with white wheat seeds at a 2.0% treatment rate was conducted with house mice and the results for 347 chemicals are presented. These toxicity and repellency data should be useful to those desiring to predict the potential for acute toxicity in wild mammals following exposure to a wide variety of chemicals. A calculation of the daily chemical dose ingested in mg/kg/day during the wheat test on deer mice and its resultant effects on mortality are also presented for most of the 696 chemicals. This calculated value, when used along with the ALD or LD 50 , should permit a rough estimate of the potential subacute toxicity of any tested chemical on wild mammals for which both types of data are available.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS2006

Trends of chlorinated organic contaminants in Great Lakes trout and walleye from 1970-1998

Levels of chlorinated organic contaminants in predator fish have been monitored annually in each of the Great Lakes since the 1970s. This article updates earlier reports with data from 1991 to 1998 for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and (Lake Erie only) walleye (Sander vitreus) to provide a record that now extends nearly 30 years. Whole fish were analyzed for a number of industrial contaminants and pesticides, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), dieldrin, toxaphene, and mirex, and contaminant trends were quantified using multicompartment models. As in the past, fish from Lakes Michigan, Ontario, and Huron have the highest levels of PCBs, DDT, and dieldrin; Superior has the highest levels of toxaphene; and Ontario has the highest levels of mirex. In the period after curtailment of chemical use, concentrations rapidly decreased, represented by relatively short half-lives from approximately 1 to 9 years. Although trends depend on both the contaminant and the lake, in many cases the rate of decline has been decreasing, and concentrations are gradually approaching an irreducible concentration. For dioxin-like PCBs, levels have not been decreasing during the most recent 5-year period (1994 to 1998). In some cases, the year-to-year variation in contaminant levels is large, mainly because of food-web dynamics. Although this variation sometimes obscures long-term trends, the general pattern of a rapid decrease followed by slowing or leveling-off of the downward trend seems consistent across the Great Lakes, and future improvements of the magnitude seen in the 1970s and early 1980s likely will take much longer.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗