Factors Determining the Toxicity of Organic Pollutants to Animals and Plants - Organic Pollutants: An Ecotoxicological Perspective - page 57

p,p ′-DDE Affects Ca ++

transport in avian
shell gland

Probably Ca ++ ATPase,
may also have effect on
prostaglandin levels

Thinning of avian eggshells Persistent metabolite of

p,p ′-DDT implicated in
the decline of certain
predatory birds

Lundholm (1987, 1997),
Peakall (1992)

Dioxins and coplanar
PCBs

“Ah-receptor-
mediated toxicity”

Ah receptor A range of toxic effects

including endocrine
disturbances

Mechanism by which
binding to Ah receptor
causes toxic effects still
unclear

Safe (1990)

4-OH-3,3′4,5′-Cl-biphenyl Thyroxine

antagonism

Thyroxine-binding site of
transthyretin

Vitamin A deiciency Effect caused by this and

certain other PCB
metabolites

Brouwer et al. (1990)

Anticoagulant
rodenticides

Vitamin K
antagonism

Vitamin K binding sites of
hepatic carboxylase

Hemorrhaging Warfarin, diphenacoum,

bromodiolone,
locoumafen, and
brodiphacoum are examples

Thijssen (1995)

Organo-mercury
fungicides

Neurotoxicity Sulfhydryl groups of

proteins

Damage to CNS Both alkyl and aryl mercury

compounds can bind to
sulfhydryl groups

Environmental Health
Criteria (EHC) 86
(1989)

Tributyl tin fungicides Endocrine disruptors

in mollusks

Thought to disturb
testotosterone metabolism
by binding to P450

Cause “imposex” in dog
whelks and a variety of other
effects on other mollusks

Have caused population
declines in certain
mollusks

Matthiessen and Gibbs
(1998)