Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Review Of Harmful Algal Bloom Effects On Birds With Implications For Avian Wildlife In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Barnett A. Rattner, Catherine E. Wazniak, Julia S. Lankton, Peter C. Mcgowan, Serguei V. Drovetski, Todd A. Egerton

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The Chesapeake Bay, along the mid-Atlantic coast of North America, is the largest estuary in the United States and provides critical habitat for wildlife. In contrast to point and non-point source release of pesticides, metals, and industrial, personal care and household use chemicals on biota in this watershed, there has only been scant attention to potential exposure and effects of algal toxins on wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay region. As background, we first review the scientific literature on algal toxins and harmful algal bloom (HAB) events in various regions of the world that principally affected birds, and to a lesser …

Do Pharmaceuticals In The Environment Pose A Risk To Wildlife?, Thomas G. Bean, Elizabeth A. Chadwick, Marta Herrero‐Villar, Rafael Mateo, Vinny Naidoo, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The vast majority of knowledge related to the question “To what extent do pharmaceuticals in the environment pose a risk to wildlife?” stems from the Asian vulture crisis (>99% decline of some species of Old World vultures on the Indian subcontinent related to the veterinary use of the nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug [NSAID] diclofenac). The hazard of diclofenac and other NSAIDs (carprofen, flunixin, ketoprofen, nimesulide, phenylbutazone) to vultures and other avian species has since been demonstrated; indeed, only meloxicam and tolfenamic acid have been found to be vulture‐safe. Since diclofenac was approved for veterinary use in Spain and Italy in …

Multi-Omics Responses In Tree Swallow (Tachycineta Bicolor) Nestlings From The Maumee Area Of Concern, Maumee River, Ohio, Chi Yen Tseng, Christine M. Custer, Thomas W. Custer, Paul M. Dummer, Natalie Karouna-Renier, Cole W. Matson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A multi-omics approach was utilized to identify altered biological responses and functions, and to prioritize contaminants to assess the risks of chemical mixtures in the Maumee Area of Concern (AOC), Maumee River, OH, USA. The Maumee AOC is designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as having significant beneficial use impairments, including degradation of fish and wildlife populations, bird or animal deformities or reproduction problems, and loss of fish and wildlife habitat. Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nestlings were collected at five sites along the Maumee River, which included wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and industrial land-use sites. Polychlorinated …

Is Sensitivity To Anticoagulant Rodenticides Affected By Repeated Exposure In Hawks?, Barnett A. Rattner, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Thomas G. Bean, Katherine E. Horak,, Steven F. Volker, Julia Lankton

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A seminal question in wildlife toxicology is whether exposure to an environmental contaminant, in particular a secondgeneration anticoagulant rodenticide, can evoke subtle long lasting effects on body condition, physiological function and survival. Many reports indicate that non-target predators often carry residues of several rodenticides, which is indicative of multiple exposures. An often-cited study in laboratory rats demonstrated that exposure to the second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide brodifacoum prolongs blood clotting time for a few days, but weeks later when rats were re-exposed to the first-generation anticoagulant rodenticide warfarin, coagulopathy was more pronounced in brodifacoum-treated rats than naïve rats exposed to warfarin. To …

Risks And Hazards Of Rodenticide To Non-Raptor Birds, Nimish B. Vyas

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Incident data can support risk assessments by providing evidence of adverse effects of rodenticides to birds following operational applications. Traditionally, field monitoring for rodenticide incidents has focused primarily on raptors. However, nonraptor birds may also be poisoned (rodenticide exposure resulting in adverse effects including mortality) by rodenticides through consumption of the rodenticide bait and contaminated prey. I conducted a literature search canvassing 12 government and scholarly databases for rodenticide incidents (evidence of exposure to a rodenticide, adverse effects, or exposure to placebo baits) involving non-raptor birds. I used the search terms ‘rodenticide’ and ‘birds’ and from these results, I excluded …

Toxicity Reference Values For Chlorophacinone And Their Application For Assessing Anticoagulant Rodenticide Risk To Raptors, Barnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Sandra L. Schultz, Susan Knowles, Benjamin G. Abbo, Steven F. Volker

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Despite widespread use and benefit, there are

growing concerns regarding hazards of second-generation

anticoagulant rodenticides to non-target wildlife which

may result in expanded use of first-generation compounds,

including chlorophacinone (CPN). The toxicity of CPN

over a 7-day exposure period was investigated in American

kestrels (Falco sparverius) fed either rat tissue mechanically-

amended with CPN, tissue from rats fed Rozol bait

(biologically-incorporated CPN), or control diets (tissue

from untreated rats or commercial bird of prey diet)

ad libitum. Nominal CPN concentrations in the formulated

diets were 0.15, 0.75 and 1.5 µg/g food wet weight, and

measured concentrations averaged 94 …

Comparative Embryotoxicity Of A Pentabrominated Diphenyl Ether Mixture To Common Terns (Sterna Hirundo) And American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius), Barnett A. Rattner, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Gary H. Heinz, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Sandra L. Schultz, Robert C. Hale

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Forster’s tern (Sterna forsteri) eggs from San Francisco Bay have been reported to range up to 63 µg g^-1 lipid weight. This value exceeds the lowest-observed-adverse-effect level (1.8 µg g^-1 egg wet weight; ~32 µg g^-1 lipid weight) reported in an embryotoxicity study with American kestrels (Falco sparverius). As a surrogate for Forster’s terns, common tern (Sterna hirundo) eggs were treated by air cell injection with corn oil vehicle (control) or a commercial penta-BDE formulation (DE-71) at nominal concentrations of 0.2, 2, and 20 µg g …

Critique On The Use Of The Standardized Avian Acute Oral Toxicity Test For First Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides, Nimish B. Vyas, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Avian risk assessments for rodenticides are often driven by the results of standardized acute oral toxicity tests without regards to a toxicant’s mode of action and time course of adverse effects. First generation anticoagulant rodenticides (FGARs) generally require multiple feedings over several days to achieve a threshold concentration in tissue and cause adverse effects. This exposure regimen is much different than that used in the standardized acute oral toxicity test methodology. Median lethal dose values derived from standardized acute oral toxicity tests underestimate the environmental hazard and risk of FGARs. Caution is warranted when FGAR toxicity, physiological effects, and pharmacokinetics …

Absorption And Biotransformation Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers De-71 And De-79 In Chicken (Gallus Gallus), Mallard (Anas Platyrhynchos), American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) And Black-Crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax Nycticorax) Eggs, Moira A. Mckernan, Barnett A. Rattner, Jeff S. Hatfield, Robert C. Hale, Mary Ann Ottinger

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We recently reported that air cell administration of penta-brominated diphenyl ether (penta-BDE; DE-71) evokes biochemical and immunologic effects in chicken (Gallus gallus) embryos at very low doses, and impairs pipping (i.e., stage immediately prior to hatching) and hatching success at 1.8 µg g^-1 egg (actual dose absorbed) in American kestrels (Falco sparverius). In the present study, absorption of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners was measured following air cell administration of a penta-BDE mixture (11.1 lg DE-71 g^-1 egg) or an octa-brominated diphenyl ether mixture (octa BDE; DE-79; 15.4 lg DE-79 g^{- …}