Custer, T. W., Sparks, D. W., Sobiech, S. A., Hines, R. K. and Melancon, M.
J., 1996, Organochlorine accumulation by sentinel mallards at the
Winston-Thomas sewage treatment plant, Bloomington, Indiana: Archives of
Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, v. 30, no. 2, p. 163-169.

Abstract

Farm-raised 12-month-old female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were
released at the Winston-Thomas sewage treatment plant, Bloomington,
Indiana. Five mallards were sacrificed at the start of the study and at
approximately 10-day intervals through day 100. Concentrations of
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in carcasses increased linearly with time of
exposure and exceeded 16 mu g/g wet weight by day 100; PCBs in breast
muscle exceeded 3.9 mu g/g by day 100. These PCB values are among the
highest recorded for wild or sentinel waterfowl. PCB concentrations in breast
muscle (26-523 mu g/g lipid weight) were 50-1,000 times greater than human
consumption guidelines for edible poultry in Canada (0.5 mu g/g lipid weight)
and 9-176 times greater than consumption guidelines for edible poultry in the
United States (3.0 mu g/g lipid weight). Additionally, PCB concentrations in
carcass and breast muscle exceeded the threshold of the Great Lakes Sport
Fish Consumption Advisory 'do not eat' category (1.9 mu g/g wet weight) by
day 20 and day 50, respectively. Hepatic cytochrome P450-associated
monooxygenases including BROD (benzyloxyresorufin-O-dealkylase), EROD
(ethoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase), and PROD (pentoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase)
were induced over 5-fold compared to reference mallards. BROD, EROD, and
PROD were each significantly correlated to total PCBs and to the toxicity of
selected PCB congeners, relative to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.

Keywords

USA,-Indiana,-Bloomington, wastewater-facilities, ducks-, polychlorinated-
biphenyls, bioaccumulation-, standards-, toxicity-, water-pollution-effects,
Anas-platyrhynchos, PCB-, sewage-treatment-plants, water- pollution,
pollution-effects, PCB-compounds, sewage-disposal, wastewater-treatment,
aquatic-birds