Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
sex-related differences in pollutant loads (Borrell and Aguilar 2005; Kajiwara et al. 2006;
Haraguchi et al. 2009; Leonel et al. 2010). Therefore, the first pregnancy marks the start of
the decrease phase in females. It is considered that the transfer during lactation is much
higher than that occurring through deposition in the tissues of the calf or pup during
gestation (Wolkers et al. 2004). The magnitude of the reproductive transfer is extremely
variable, ranging from 7% to 100%, depending on the species and the compound (Houde
et al. 2005).
Reports of OC pesticide residues devoted to other wild mammal groups are scarcer.
Livers of male river otters ( Lontra canadensis ) collected from Oregon and Washington,
in 1994-1999, were found, in general, with low OC insecticide levels, although some
individuals exceeded 500,000 ng/g DW for p,pʹ-DDE and p,pʹ-DDD (Grove and Henny
2008). In Eurasian otters ( Lutra lutra ) from France, the level of ΣDDTs was 2060 (200-
2600) and that of lindane was 450 (ND-900) ng/g LW in the liver samples (Lemarchand
et al. 2010).
Bats have been subject to several studies, because world populations have declined dra-
matically (Aktar et al. 2009). Clark (2001), using the samples collected in 1930, 1956, 1965,
1973, and 1988, provided data supporting the hypothesis that DDT played a major role in
the severe population decline of Brazilian free-tailed bats ( Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana ) at
Carlsbad Cavern, New Mexico. More recently, Allinson et al. (2006) reported, in the carcass
samples of southern bent-wing bat ( Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii ) at Bat Cave, Australia,
levels of p,pʹ-DDE ranging from 11,000 to 59,000 ng/g LW, p,pʹ-DDT ranging from 110 to
1600 ng/g LW, and p,pʹ-DDD ranging from 35 to 620 ng/g LW.
Two populations of British Columbia grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos horribilis ) with different
feeding habits were studied by Christensen et al. (2005), and it was found that, overall,
maritime bears were more contaminated with many POPs than the interior bears, with
chlordane levels ranging from 213 to 27,606 ng/g LW and ΣDDTs ranging from 28 to 20,277
ng/g LW in fat. In China, captive giant pandas ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) and red pandas
( Ailurus fulgens ) found dead from disease showed 16.3-83.2 and 14.6-56.2 ng/g LW of
ΣDDT in the livers, respectively (Hu et al. 2008).
In Madagascar, the levels of OC insecticides in the blood of ring-tailed lemurs were
considered to be the background concentrations and were characterized within DDTs by a
dominance of p,pʹ-DDT and the absence of p,pʹ-DDE (Rainwater et al. 2009).
In pet dogs, the levels of DDTs usually detected are low, with the concentrations of
HCHs and chlordanes being even slightly higher than those of DDTs in Japan (Kunisue
et al. 2005). However, cats have higher values of DDTs: 99.8 (77-756) ng/g LW in the adi-
pose tissues, in Italy (n = 84); and 99-140 (29-400) ng/g LW in the genital organs, in Japan
(Kunisue et al. 2005; Storelli et al. 2009).
OC insecticides can get accumulated in fat-rich foods. Food is therefore one of the main
sources of human exposure and is the reason why animal-origin fats need to be prefer-
entially monitored in order to assess the potential health risks for consumers. Data for
milk and butter are available today for almost every country. Highest concentrations of
OC insecticide residues have been found in India, China, Iran, Mexico, Colombia, and
Spain, with the HCH and DDT families and endolsulfan being especially problematic in
some regions or countries, sometimes reflecting the current use at the time of sampling
(Badia-Vila et al. 2000; Kalantzi et al. 2001; Battu et al. 2004; Nag and Raikwar 2008; Bayat
et al. 2010; Castilla-Pinedo et al. 2010). In a comparative study of butter from several coun-
tries, Kalantzi et al. (2001) found levels between 0.410 (United States) and 248.9 (India) ng/g
LW for ΣDDTs and between ND (Australia, Denmark, Italy and United States) and 222.8
(India) ng/g LW for ΣHCHs.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search