Dioxin contamination and growth and development in great blue heron embryos
- Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada)
A great blue heron colony located near a pulp mill in British Columbia failed to fledge young in 1987, with a concurrent sharp increase in polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) levels in their eggs. In 1988 we tested the hypothesis that the PCDD and PCDF contamination caused reproductive failure by increasing mortality of the heron embryos in ovo. Pairs of great blue heron eggs were collected from three British Columbia colonies with low, intermediate, and high levels of dioxin contamination: Nicomekl, Vancouver, and Crofton, respectively. One egg of each pair was incubated under laboratory conditions at the University of British Columbia (UBC) while the other egg was analyzed for PCDDs and PCDFs. All incubated eggs were fertile. All eggs from the Nicomekl colony hatched, while 13 of 14 eggs from Vancouver and 12 of 13 eggs from Crofton hatched. Subcutaneous edema was observed in 4 of 12 chicks from Crofton and 2 of 13 chicks from Vancouver. No edema was seen in the chicks from Nicomekl. There was a small, but significant, negative regression of plasma calcium concentration, yolk-free body weight, tibia length, wet, dry, and ash weight, beak length, and kidney and stomach weight of the hatched chicks on the tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) level of the paired eggs. Fewer down follicles were present on the heads of TCDD-contaminated chicks. Hence while dioxins did not cause mortality of the heron embryos in ovo, the depression of growth and the presence of edema are suggestive that dioxins at the levels found in the environment have an adverse effect on the development of great blue heron embryos.
- OSTI ID:
- 6055047
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health; (USA) Vol. 32:3; ISSN JTEHD; ISSN 0098-4108
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Toxicity of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and polychlorinated biphenyls during salmonid early development
Embryotoxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in the ring-necked pheasant
Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
BENZOFURANS
BIRDS
BRITISH COLUMBIA
CANADA
CELL CONSTITUENTS
DIOXIN
DISTRIBUTION
EGGS
EMBRYOS
FURANS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRY
INHIBITION
METABOLISM
MICROSOMES
NORTH AMERICA
ONTOGENESIS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANOIDS
PAPER INDUSTRY
RIBOSOMES
SENSITIVITY
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
TOXICITY
VERTEBRATES
WOOD PRODUCTS INDUSTRY