Small mammals as monitors of environmental contaminants

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3078-6_2· OSTI ID:5896918

Talmage, S S; Walton, B T ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)

The merit of using small mammals as monitors of environmental contaminants was assessed using data from the published literature. Information was located on 35 species of small mammals from 7 families used to monitor heavy metals, radionuclides, and organic chemicals at mine sites, industrial areas, hazardous and radioactive waste disposal sites, and agricultural and forested land. To document foodchain transfer of chemicals, concentrations in soil, vegetation, and invertebrates, where available, were included. The most commonly trapped North American species were Peromyscus leucopus, Blarina brevicauda, and Microtus pennsylvanicus. In these species, exposure to chemicals was determined from tissue residue analyses, biochemical assays, and cytogenetic assays. Where enough information was available, suitable target tissues, or biological assays for specific chemicals were noted. In general, there was a relationship between concentrations of contaminants in the soil or food, and concentrations in target tissues of several species. This relationship was most obvious for the nonessential heavy metals, cadmium, lead, and mercury and for fluoride. Kidney was the single best tissue for residue analyses of inorganic contaminants. However, bone should be the tissue of choice for both lead and fluorine. Exposure to lead was also successfully documented using biochemical and histopathological endpoints. Bone was the tissue of choice for exposure to 90Sr, whereas muscle was an appropriate tissue for 137Cs. For organic contaminants, exposure endpoints depended on the chemical(s) of concern. Liver and whole-body residue analyses, as well as enzyme changes, organ histology, genotoxicity, and, in one case, population dynamics, were successfully used to document exposure to these contaminants.

• OSTI ID: 5896918
• Journal Information: Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (USA), Vol. 119; ISSN 0179-5953
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
FOOD CHAINS
CONTAMINATION
MAMMALS
SENSITIVITY
POLLUTION
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
SOILS
CADMIUM
CESIUM 137
FLUORIDES
LEAD
MERCURY
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
STRONTIUM 90
WILD ANIMALS
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM ISOTOPES
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
METALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
VERTEBRATES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
540220* - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
560162 - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Animals
Plants
Microorganisms
& Cells