Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans - Organic Pollutants: An Ecotoxicological Perspective - page 159

taBLe 7.3
teQ Values found in field Studies, and ecological effects associated with them

teQ pg/g
(method of
determination)

area Species observation reference

Great Lakes Double-crested

cormorant
(eggs)

100-300
(bioassay); only
PCBs assayed

Egg mortalities of
8-39% correlated
well with TEQ values
Relationship to
continued poor
breeding success

Tillett et al.
(1992)

Caspian tern
(eggs)

170-400
(chemical
analysis); only
PCBs assayed

Related to embryonic
mortality

Ludwig et al.
(1996)

2700 Total reproductive

failure

Ludwig et al.
(1993)

Baltic Sea White-tailed

sea eagle
(egg, muscle)

<1220 (bioassay)
<1040 (chemical
determination)

PCB fraction
accounted for 75%+
of TEQ by either
assay; reduced
productivity of birds
in this area

Koistinen et al.
(1997)

Upper Hudson
River

Tree swallows
( Tachycineta
bicolor )

410-25,400
(chemical
determination)

TEQs mainly due to
PCBs, especially
3,3′,4,4′-TCB

Secord et al.
(1999)

(nestlings) Reduced reproductive

success, but less
effect than expected
from high TEQs

McCarty and
Secord (1999)

Saginaw Bay,
Great Lakes

Fish (whole
body);
sampled 1990

11-348
(bioassay);
14-70 (chemical
determination)

PCDDs, PCDFs, and
PCBs made variable,
but on the whole
similar contributions
to TEQ values;
probably not high
enough to adversely
affect fish
populations

Giesy et al.
(1997)

Woonasquatucket
River

Tree swallows
eggs

343-1281
(chemical
determination)

TCDD mainly
2,3,7,8-TCDD
Reduced hatching
success

Custer et al.
(2005)

The results for tree swallows ( Tachycineta bicolor ) in the area of the Upper
Hudson River are surprising because the birds were still able to breed with TEQs far
above the levels that had severe/fatal effects on other species of birds. However, there