The use of bird feathers to assess environmental contamination has steadily increased in ecotoxicological monitoring programs over the past decade. Olrog’s Gull (Larus atlanticus) is a species endemic Atlantic coast southern South America, constituting one three threatened gull listed entire American continent. aim this study was exposure Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and chlorpyrifos Ne...

HELTSLEY, REBECCA MARIE. Novel Methods for Monitoring Chlorinated Contaminants in Aquatic Environments. (Under the direction of Dr. Damian Shea) Chemical exposure assessment is a fundamental component of ecological risk assessment. Without proper tools to determine exposure, final decisions regarding risk must be estimated. In this study, novel methods for improving exposure assessment in aquat...

This paper presents the first detailed investigation on the residual levels of organochlorine insecticide (OCI) concentrations in the Cochin estuarine sediment. It aims in elucidate their distribution and ecological impact on the aquatic system. Concentrations of persistent organochlorine compound (OC) were determined for 17 surface sediment samples which were collected from specific sites of C...

Studies on glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) breeding in the Barents Sea have reported that high blood levels of halogenated organic contaminants in this species might cause reproductive, behavioral, and developmental stress. However, potential endocrine system modulation caused by contaminant exposure has yet not been reported in this Arctic apical predator. In this present study we aimed to ...

Management of cocoa plantation field relied on the use of pesticides over the years; hence, the fate of such chemicals is one of the most debated issues among the stakeholders. Young and old cocoa plantation fields from 4 major cocoa producing States in Nigeria were selected as the study area. Eight composites soil samples collected from 3 portions of 6 transect measured area (100 x 50m) of the...

In 1994 and 1995, nesting success of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) was measured at Cat Island, in southern Green Bay, Lake Michigan, Wisconsin, USA. Sample eggs at pipping and unhatched eggs were collected and analyzed for organochlorines (including total polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs] and DDE), hepatic microsomal ethoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase (EROD) activity in embryos, an...

Blubber was collected from live-captured, adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from Svalbard, Norway, and analysed for levels and patterns of organochlorine (OC) contaminants. The OC compounds analysed were HCB, dieldrin, sigmaHCH (alpha-HCH, beta-HCH and gamma-HCH), sigmaChl (heptachlor epoxide, oxychlordane, cis-chlordane, trans-nonachlor, and cis-nonachlor), sigmaDDT (pp'-DDT, pp'...

Organochlorines were examined in liver and stable isotopes in muscle of fishes from the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska, in relation to islands or locations affected by military occupation. Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), and rock greenling (Hexagrammos lagocephalus) were collected from nearshore waters at contemporary (decommissioned) and historic...

Concentrations of the organochlorine pesticides hexachlorobenzene (HCB), gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (gamma-HCH), DDT and its metabolite p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and seven polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were analyzed in livers and adipose tissue samples of 145 white-tailed eagles found dead or moribund in Germany from 1979 to 2001. Most birds were found in the regi...