Effects of PCDD and PCDF contamination on nesting wood ducks

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:242308

White, D H; Seginak, J T ^[1]

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1. National Biological Service, Athens, GA (United States)

The authors studied the effects of PCDD/PCDF contamination on wood ducks (Aix sponsa) nesting downstream from a hazardous waste site in central Arkansas. The authors monitored productivity of hens in 120 nest boxes during 1988--90 and collected one fresh egg from each nest for chemical analysis. Compared with the reference site, nest success, hatching success, and duckling production were suppressed at sites 9 and 17 km downstream, as was hatching success 58 km downstream. Egg production and size were unaffected by the contamination. Only a few eggs contained background levels (<0.5 ppm) of DDE and no PCBs were detected. However, PCDD/PCDF residues, based on 2,3,7,8-TCDD equivalents (TEQs), ranged up to 611 parts per trillion (ppt), wet mass, and TEQ geometric means were 50-fold higher at the site nearest the point source compared with the reference site. Generally, as distance from the point source increased, egg TEQs decreased. Although most homologues in eggs were negatively correlated with productivity in corresponding nests, TEQs provided the highest correlations. Thus, reproductive failure probably was the result of cumulative effects rather than effects of a single compound. The threshold range of egg TEQs where reduced productivity was evident in wood ducks was > 20--50 ppt.

• OSTI ID: 242308
• Report Number(s): CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
ARKANSAS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL STRESS
DIOXIN
DUCKS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FURANS
WATER POLLUTION