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Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (v.62, #4)

Depositional History of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in a Dated Sediment Core from the Northwestern Arabian Gulf by Bondi Gevao; Abdul Aziz Aba; Abdul Nabi Al-Ghadban; Saif Uddin (pp. 549-556).

The vertical distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was measured in a dated sediment core from the northwestern Arabian Gulf to reconstruct their depositional history. The downcore profile showed an increase in concentrations from depth to a subsurface maximum of approximately 1,500 pg g⁻¹ in approximately 1991, followed by an exponential decrease to the sediment–water interface. Current concentrations of ΣPCBs are similar to levels predating the episodic input of PCBs in sediments dated coincident with the 1991 Arabian Gulf war. The spike in ΣPCB concentrations during the war may be related to the destruction of PCB-laden transformers during the conflict. The 15-fold decrease in ΣPCB concentrations from the period of maximum flux to prewar levels suggests that the factors delivering PCBs to sediments at present are similar to those that that existed before the war-related inputs.

Selected Trace Elements in the Sacramento River, California: Occurrence and Distribution by H. E. Taylor; R. C. Antweiler; D. A. Roth; C. N. Alpers; P. Dileanis (pp. 557-569).

The impact of trace elements from the Iron Mountain Superfund site on the Sacramento River and selected tributaries is examined. The concentration and distribution of many trace elements—including aluminum, arsenic, boron, barium, beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, cobalt, chromium, cesium, copper, dysprosium, erbium, europium, iron, gadolinium, holmium, potassium, lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, manganese, molybdenum, neodymium, nickel, lead, praseodymium, rubidium, rhenium, antimony, selenium, samarium, strontium, terbium, thallium, thulium, uranium, vanadium, tungsten, yttrium, ytterbium, zinc, and zirconium—were measured using a combination of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. Samples were collected using ultraclean techniques at selected sites in tributaries and the Sacramento River from below Shasta Dam to Freeport, California, at six separate time periods from mid-1996 to mid-1997. Trace-element concentrations in dissolved (ultrafiltered [0.005-μm pore size]) and colloidal material, isolated at each site from large volume samples, are reported. For example, dissolved Zn ranged from 900 μg/L at Spring Creek (Iron Mountain acid mine drainage into Keswick Reservoir) to 0.65 μg/L at the Freeport site on the Sacramento River. Zn associated with colloidal material ranged from 4.3 μg/L (colloid-equivalent concentration) in Spring Creek to 21.8 μg/L at the Colusa site on the Sacramento River. Virtually all of the trace elements exist in Spring Creek in the dissolved form. On entering Keswick Reservoir, the metals are at least partially converted by precipitation or adsorption to the particulate phase. Despite this observation, few of the elements are removed by settling; instead the majority is transported, associated with colloids, downriver, at least to the Bend Bridge site, which is 67 km from Keswick Dam. Most trace elements are strongly associated with the colloid phase going downriver under both low- and high-flow conditions.

Influence of Hydrological Parameters on Organohalogenated Micropollutant (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Polychlorinated Biphenyls) Behaviour in the Seine (France) by Khawla Tlili; Pierre Labadie; Fabrice Alliot; Catherine Bourges; Annie Desportes; Marc Chevreuil (pp. 570-578).

The temporal dynamics of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were investigated in a heavily urbanized river (Seine River, Paris, France) from November 2009 to May 2010. Pollutant concentrations were in the range of 0.2 to 3.8 ng l⁻¹ (median 1.1) and 0.4 to 3.6 ng l⁻¹ (median 1.1) for ∑ tri-deca BDEs and ∑ 7PCBs, respectively. In addition, for both PBDEs and PCBs, the partitioning between the particulate and dissolved phases was investigated. Due to their low water solubility, PBDEs were mainly (>70%) bound to particles. In contrast, only 54% of ∑ 7PCBs occurred in the particulate phase, and their partitioning was influenced by the degree of chlorination. During the sampling period, PBDE/PCB fluxes were quite similar and ranged from 3 to 128 and from 6 to 125 g day⁻¹, respectively. The annual mass flow of PBDEs and PCBs was estimated to 10 kg for both. Contrary to PCBs and BDE-209, the temporal evolution of ∑ tri-hepta BDEs was related to particulate organic matter content, which is controlled by river flow variations. This suggests that they exhibit different sources or behavior in the Seine River.

Toxicity of Electronic Waste Leachates to Daphnia magna: Screening and Toxicity Identification Evaluation of Different Products, Components, and Materials by Delilah Lithner; Maja Halling; Göran Dave (pp. 579-588).

Electronic waste has become one of the fastest growing waste problems in the world. It contains both toxic metals and toxic organics. The aim of this study was to (1) investigate to what extent toxicants can leach from different electronic products, components, and materials into water and (2) identify which group of toxicants (metals or hydrophobic organics) that is causing toxicity. Components from five discarded electronic products (cell phone, computer, phone modem, keyboard, and computer mouse) were leached in deionised water for 3 days at 23°C in concentrations of 25 g/l for metal components, 50 g/l for mixed-material components, and 100 g/l for plastic components. The water phase was tested for acute toxicity to Daphnia magna. Eighteen of 68 leachates showed toxicity (with immobility of D. magna ≥ 50% after 48 h) and came from metal or mixed-material components. The 8 most toxic leachates, with 48 h EC₅₀s ranging from 0.4 to 20 g/l, came from 2 circuit sheets (key board), integrated drive electronics (IDE) cable clips (computer), metal studs (computer), a circuit board (computer mouse), a cord (phone modem), mixed parts (cell phone), and a circuit board (key board). All 5 electronic products were represented among them. Toxicity identification evaluations (with C18 and CM resins filtrations and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid addition) indicated that metals caused the toxicity in the majority of the most toxic leachates. Overall, this study has shown that electronic waste can leach toxic compounds also during short-term leaching with pure water.

Effects of Dietary Copper on Life-History Traits of a Tropical Freshwater Cladoceran by P. K. Gusso-Choueri; R. B. Choueri; A. T. Lombardi; M. G. G. Melão (pp. 589-598).

Life-history parameters of Ceriodaphnia cornuta (Cladocera: Daphniidae) fed on Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (Chlorophyceae) exposed to different copper concentrations were investigated. C. cornuta individuals were reared in four treatments: (a) reconstituted water and non-contaminated algae (RW); (b) reconstituted water and copper-contaminated algae with either 1.28 × 10⁻¹³ (10⁻⁷Cu) or (c) 1.93 × 10⁻¹³ g Cu cell⁻¹ (10⁻⁶Cu); and (d) natural water from a local reservoir and non-contaminated algae (NW). Copper content in C. cornuta individuals increased as diet-borne exposure increased (RW < 10⁻⁷Cu < NW < 10⁻⁶Cu), except for NW individuals, which exhibited higher copper body burden than RW and 10⁻⁷Cu individuals, suggesting that some copper was available in the natural water. The results suggest that subacute levels of dietary copper stimulated C. cornuta’s growth and reproduction, whereas organisms reared on reconstituted water showed nutritional deficiency. Depending on copper exposure concentration, either growth (lower Cu concentration) or reproduction (higher Cu concentration) was further stimulated, suggesting that an alteration of resource allocation is involved in diet-borne copper exposure. Because differences among treatments were only significantly different after day 12 of the experiment, our results reinforce that full life-cycle tests are more appropriate than the standard 7 day or three-brood chronic bioassays used to evaluate dietary copper effects at low, chronic copper inputs and that the use of standard test-organisms may not address site-specific situations for tropical environments.

Lipofuscin-Like Pigment in Gonads of Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius as a Potential Biomarker of Marine Pollution: A Field Study by Marina A. Vaschenko; Peter M. Zhadan; Dmitry L. Aminin; Tatyana N. Almyashova (pp. 599-613).

Accumulation of lipofuscin-like pigments (LLPs) has been shown to be an appropriate index of both age and stress in some aquatic invertebrates. In the present study, LLP was quantified by measuring its autofluorescence intensity (ex 450 nm/em 512 nm) in nutritive phagocytes (NPs) of sea urchins Strongylocentrotus intermedius inhabiting polluted and relatively clean areas of Japan Sea. To avoid variations in LLP content related to sea urchin reproductive condition, only developing gonads with acini occupied mostly by NPs were used for LLP quantification as well as semiquantitative histopathological analysis. LLP concentrations ranged from 0.0 to 4.57 ± 0.53% area fraction in female gonads and from 0.0 to 4.61 ± 0.35% in male gonads. The presence of specimens with extremely high LLP concentrations (>1.5%) in all examined samples, including specimens from the reference station, as well as the absence of strong correlations between LLP concentrations and several parameters related to pollution (heavy-metal concentrations in sea urchin gonads and concentrations of heavy metals, DDT, hexachlorocyclohexane, and total petroleum hydrocarbons in sediments), allow us to conclude that LLP content in sea urchin NPs can not be used as a biomarker in marine pollution monitoring.

Comparison of Bioaccumulation and Biomarker Responses in Dreissena polymorpha and D. bugensis After Exposure to Resuspended Sediments by S. Schäfer; B. Hamer; B. Treursić; C. Möhlenkamp; D. Spira; M. Korlević; G. Reifferscheid; E. Claus (pp. 614-627).

The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha is widely used as sentinel organism for the assessment of environmental contamination in freshwater environments. However, in the River Rhine (Germany), the D. polymorpha population is declining, whereas the closely related quagga mussel D. bugensis is found in high numbers at some sites. In the present laboratory study, D. polymorpha and D. bugensis were exposed to resuspended native sediments for ≤2 weeks. Wet sediments (<63 μm, 100 mg l⁻¹ dry weight) were used as surrogate suspended particulate matter to mimic one of the mussels’ main uptake route for chemicals. The sediments were sampled in (1) the River Elbe in Dessau, a site known to be highly polluted with, e.g., organochlorine (OC) pesticides and (2) at a relatively unpolluted site in Havelberg in the River Havel, one of the Elbe’s tributaries. Chemical analysis of persistent OC compounds (seven polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], DDT and its metabolites (DDX), hexachlorocylohexanes [HCHs], and hexachlorobenzene [HCB]) in soft tissue of mussels showed significantly greater values of PCBs 101, 118, 153, 138, 180, the sum of seven PCBs, and p,p′-DDD in D. bugensis compared with D. polymorpha. Fourteen days of exposure to Dessau sediment increased the concentration of p,p′-DDE and p,p′-DDD, as well as the sum of DDX, in both species compared with Havelberg sediment. Interspecific differences were less pronounced when regarding chemical concentrations with lipid content instead of dry-weight of tissue because D. bugensis had greater levels of total lipid than D. polymorpha. DNA damage in gills, as measured with the comet assay, was greater in D. bugensis compared with D. polymorpha. Simultaneously, the content of heat-shock protein (hsp70) in gills was greater in D. polymorpha than in D. bugensis. DNA damage and hsp70 were not induced by exposure time or sediment type. This study shows that D. bugensis and D. polymorpha may differ in their bioaccumulation potential of OC pesticides as well as their levels of DNA damage and hsp70. Therefore, more investigations are needed before quagga mussel can be used as alternative test organism for the zebra mussel.

Water-Quality Parameters and Total Aerobic Bacterial and Vibrionaceae Loads in Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) From Oyster-Gardening Sites by Johnna P. Fay; Gary P. Richards; Gulnihal Ozbay (pp. 628-637).

Oyster gardening is a practice designed to restore habitat for marine life and to improve water quality. This study determined physical and chemical water-quality parameters at two oyster gardening sites in the Delaware Inland Bays and compared them with total aerobic bacteria and Vibrionaceae concentrations in Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica). One site was located at the end of a man-made canal, whereas the other was located in an open bay. Measured water parameters included temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, pH, total nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, total phosphorus, and total suspended solids. The highest Vibrionaceae levels, as determined by the colony overlay procedure for peptidases, were at the canal site in September (3.5 × 10⁵ g⁻¹) and at the bay site in August (1.9 × 10⁵ g⁻¹). Vibrionaceae levels were significantly greater during the duration of the study at the canal site (P = 0.01). This study provides the first baseline levels for total Vibrionaceae in the Delaware Inland Bays. Minimum DO readings at the bay and canal sites were 3.0 and 2.3 mg l⁻¹, respectively, far less than the state-targeted minimum threshold of 5.0 mg l⁻¹. Total phosphorus levels exceeded recommendations of ≤0.1 mg l⁻¹ at the bay and canal sites for all monthly samplings, with mean monthly highs at both sites ≥0.68 mg l⁻¹ in August. Nitrogen occasionally exceeded the recommended level of 1.0 mg l⁻¹ at both sites. Overall, waters were highly degraded from high phosphates, nitrogen, and total suspended solids as well as low DO.

Impact of a Sacrificial Anode as Assessed by Zinc Accumulation in Different Organs of the Oyster Crassostrea gigas: Results from Long- and Short-Term Laboratory Tests by Christelle Caplat; Elmina Mottin; Jean-Marc Lebel; Antoine Serpentini; Daniel Barillier; Marie-Laure Mahaut (pp. 638-649).

Sacrificial anodes made of zinc are currently used in marine environments to mitigate marine corrosion as part of CP systems of immerged metallic structures. The aim of this work was to study zinc bioconcentration in the oyster Crassostrea gigas by performing two in vivo tests during different time periods and at different zinc concentrations. The first test was conducted during a period of 10 weeks at a concentration of 0.53 ± 0.04 mg Zn L⁻¹ to simulate long-term exposure, and a second test was conducted during a 168-hour period at a concentration of 10.2 ± 1.2 mg Zn L⁻¹ to reproduce short-term exposure. In these experiments, the zinc source was an electrochemical device that included a sacrificial anode to mimic the in situ conditions. During the first 14 days of the long-term experiment, digestive glands of C oysters exhibited bioaccumulation of zinc that varied according to the oysters’ reproductive cycle. Both a bioconcentration factor (BCF) of ≤ 13,397 and a zinc accumulation percentage of +297% of zinc occurred in this organ after 10 weeks. The results obtained from the short-term test showed a lower BCF of 405 but a faster bioaccumulation of zinc (starting from the first day) in the same organ. No mortality was observed in long-term assay, but 81.8% of the oysters died at the end of the short-term assay. These results demonstrate the great capacity of C. gigas to accumulate zinc released from the anode, especially when low concentrations are released, as in the case of anode dissolution used as CP. This study confirmed the necessity to monitor this zinc-contamination source in marine environments in relation to the usual oyster consumption by humans (especially in France). No implication for human health of this zinc-contamination source was demonstrated until now, and this was not the purpose of this study; however, zinc remains one of the most abundant nutritionally essential elements in the human body that may affect the human immune system at high-level uptake.

Trichodinid (Ciliophora: Trichodinidae) Infections in Perch (Perca fluviatilis) Experimentally Exposed to Pulp and Paper Mill Effluents by D. J. Marcogliese; K. Pulkkinen; E. T. Valtonen (pp. 650-656).

Wild-caught European perch (Perca fluviatilis) were exposed in the laboratory to untreated bleached pulp and paper mill effluent in two separate experiments. The first experiment was conducted at 7–8°C using effluent concentrations of 5 and 10%, and the second experiment was conducted at ambient river temperature of 4–20°C using an effluent concentration of 1%. Trichodinid ciliates were identified and enumerated at the end of the exposure using a mucus subsampling technique from gill and skin as well as a formalin immersion technique, which provided total counts on each fish. Four different trichodinid species were identified on the fish. Prevalence of infection, mean number, and mean density of Trichodina spp. decreased on fish exposed to effluents compared with controls. Prevalence of infection, mean number, and mean density of Trichodinella epizootica decreased on fish exposed to 5% and 10% effluents but increased on fish exposed to 1% effluents compared with controls. These results demonstrate that trichodinid ciliates vary in their susceptibility to at least certain types of contaminants and cautions against using trichodinids as environmental indicators without delineating species.

Assessing the Effects of Historical Exposure to Endocrine-Active Compounds on Reproductive Health and Genetic Diversity in Walleye, a Native Apex Predator, in a Large Riverine System by Loren M. Miller; Stephen E. Bartell; Heiko L. Schoenfuss (pp. 657-671).

In this combined field and laboratory study, we assessed whether populations of native walleye in the Upper Mississippi River experienced altered genetic diversity correlated with exposure to estrogenic endocrine-active compounds (EACs). We collected fin-clips for genetic analysis from almost 600 walleye (13 sites) and subsampled 377 of these fish (6 sites) for blood and reproductive organs. Finally, we caged male fathead minnows at 5 sampling sites to confirm the presence of estrogenic EACs. Our findings indicate that male walleye in four river segments produced measurable concentrations of plasma vitellogenin (an egg-yolk protein and, when expressed in male fish, a biomarker of acute estrogenic exposure), a finding consistent with the presence of estrogenic EACs and consistent with published historical data for at least three of these study sites (Grand Rapids, St. Paul, and Lake City on Lake Pepin). Patterns of vitellogenin induction were consistent for native walleye and caged fathead minnows. No widespread occurrence of histopathological changes, such as intersex was found compared with published reports of intersex at the furthest downstream study site. To assess possible effects of estrogenic exposure on the genetic diversity of walleye populations at the study sites, we DNA-fingerprinted individual fish using 10 microsatellite loci. Genetic differences were observed between populations; however, these differences were consistent with geographic distance between populations, with the largest observed difference in genetic diversity found between fish upstream and downstream of St. Anthony Falls (and/or Lock and Dam 1 of the Mississippi River), traditionally a historical barrier to upstream fish movement. Although the persistent occurrence of endocrine disruption in wild fish populations is troubling, we did not detect degradation of reproductive organs in individual walleye or alteration in genetic diversity of walleye populations.

Unique Physicochemical Properties of Perfluorinated Compounds and Their Bioconcentration in Common Carp Cyprinus carpio L. by Yoshiyuki Inoue; Naoki Hashizume; Naoaki Yakata; Hidekazu Murakami; Yasuyuki Suzuki; Erina Kikushima; Masanori Otsuka (pp. 672-680).

Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) was exposed to perfluorinated compounds (PFCs)—perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (number of carbon atoms, C = 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, and 18) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)—in bioconcentration tests to compare the bioconcentration factors (BCFs) and physicochemical properties of each specific compound. Despite having the same number of carbon atoms (C = 8), the BCFs of perfulorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and PFOS differed by more than two orders of magnitude (PFOA BCF = < 5.1 to 9.4; PFOS BCF = 720 to 1300). The highest BCFs were obtained from perfluorododecanoic acid (BCF = 10,000 to 16,000) and perfluorotetradecanoic acid (BCF = 16,000 to 17,000). The longest observed depuration half-lives were for perfluorohexadecanoic acid (48 to 54 days) and PFOS (45 to 52 days). The concentrations of PFCs were highest in the viscera, followed by the head, integument, and remaining parts of the test fish. PFCs concentrations in the integument, which was in direct contact with the test substances, were relatively greater than that of other lipophilic substance (hexachlorobenzene). It is likely that Clog P would be a better parameter than log K _ow for the prediction of BCFs for PFCs. Threshold values for PFCs bioaccumulation potential (molecular weight = 700, maximum diameter = 2 nm) seemed to deviate from those generally reported because of the specific steric bulk effect of molecule size.

Mercury and Other Mining-Related Contaminants in Ospreys Along the Upper Clark Fork River, Montana, USA by Heiko W. Langner; Erick Greene; Robert Domenech; Molly F. Staats (pp. 681-695).

We investigated links between mining-related contaminants in river sediment and their occurrence in nestling ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) in the Clark Fork River Basin, Montana, USA. Blood and feather samples from 111 osprey chicks were collected during 4 years from nests along river sections with greatly different sediment concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and mercury (Hg). No significant differences between river sections were found among Zn (3,150 ± 160 μg L⁻¹) and Cd (<5 μg L⁻¹) concentrations in blood. Cu, Pb, and As concentrations in blood were significantly increased in chicks from the most contaminated river sections (mean values of 298, 8.9, and 100 μg L⁻¹, respectively). Cu, Zn, and Pb concentrations increased significantly during a year of above-average river runoff combined with high suspended sediment loads in rivers. Total Hg concentrations in blood and feathers were highly correlated and depended on the geographic locations of the nests. The lowest blood concentrations of Hg were observed in the most upstream river section (mean 151 μg L⁻¹) where total sediment concentrations were increased (0.80 mg kg⁻¹). River sections with intermediate blood concentrations (mean 206 and 303 μg L⁻¹) were associated with low to intermediate sediment concentrations (0.058 and 0.46 mg kg⁻¹). The highest concentrations of Hg in ospreys (mean 548 μg L⁻¹) were observed downstream from a contaminated tributary (1–4 mg kg⁻¹ in sediment). In river sections with lower Hg concentrations in sediment, there was a negative correlation between blood Hg concentration and chick mass, presumably due to high deposition rates into growing feathers. This relationship was absent in sections of high Hg exposure. Osprey blood and feathers are suitable for monitoring Hg in aquatic ecosystems; however, responses of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn are more subtle.

Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate in Liver and Muscle Tissue from Wild Boar in Hesse, Germany by T. Stahl; S. Falk; K. Failing; J. Berger; S. Georgii; H. Brunn (pp. 696-703).

Approximately 15,000 tons of wild boar meats (Sus scrofa) are consumed per year in Germany. Boar meat therefore plays a definite role in regard to human diet. Because they are omnivores and because of their high body fat quotient, wild boar may accumulate large concentrations of persistent organic compounds, such as halogenated hydrocarbons, and could thus possibly serve as bioindicators for persistent xenobiotics. In addition, consumption of wild boar meat and liver could lead to increased contaminant levels in humans. Between 2007 and 2009, we tested a total of 529 livers and 506 muscle tissue samples from wild boar for the presence of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). PFOA concentrations ≤45 μg/kg and PFOS concentrations ≤1,780 μg/kg were detected in the liver samples. PFOA concentrations ≤7.4 μg/kg and PFOS concentrations ≤28.6 μg/kg were detected in muscle tissue. Our results show that PFOS may be detected in considerably greater concentrations than PFOA in organs and tissues, which is in agreement with results from other published studies. The comparisons between both organs for the same substance, as well as the comparisons between the substances within an organ, showed clear and statistically significant differences at P < 0.0001. Assuming a tolerable daily intake value of PFOA (1.5 μg/kg bw/d) and PFOS (0.15 μg/kg bw/d) as recommended by the European Food Safety Authority, the results of model calculations based on the maximum concentrations of PFOA and PFOS found in wild boar indicate that there should be no PFC-related health danger resulting from moderate consumption of wild boar meat or liver.

Hepatic Concentrations of Inorganic Contaminants and Their Relationships with Nutrient Reserves in Autumn-Migrant Common Loons at Lake Erie by Michael L. Schummer; Scott A. Petrie; Shannon S. Badzinski; Yu-Wei Chen; Nelson Belzile (pp. 704-713).

Common loons (Gavia immer) are piscivorous, high–trophic level feeders that bioaccumulate inorganic contaminants at concentrations that can negatively impact their health and reproduction. Concentrations of inorganic contaminants, especially mercury (Hg), in blood, organs, and muscle have been quantified in common loons on breeding grounds, but these data are limited for migrating loons. We investigated sex- and age-related hepatic concentrations of inorganic contaminants in common loons (n = 53) that died from botulism and were salvaged at a Great Lakes staging area (i.e., Long Point, Lake Erie) during November 2005. We also investigated if hepatic concentrations of inorganic contaminants influenced lipid, protein, and mineral in our sample of migrant common loons. Last, we determined if there was correlation between Hg and selenium (Se). Consistent with data from breeding grounds, mean concentrations of Hg in liver were approximately 2.5 times greater in adult ( $$ ar{x} $$ = 14.64 ± 16.69 μg g⁻¹) compared with juvenile birds ( $$ ar{x} $$ = 3.99 ± 2.27 μg g⁻¹). Elements detected in liver at potentially harmful levels were Hg and Se, of which lipid reserves varied negatively with Hg concentrations but positively with Se concentrations. In addition, Hg and Se were correlated (r = 0.65) at greater then a demethylation threshold (total Hg ≥ 8.5 μg g⁻¹ dw) but not lower than that. Concentrations of inorganic contaminants did not influence protein and mineral levels in our sample of common loons. Our results suggest that Hg accumulation negatively affects lipid levels in migrant common loons. Results are also consistent with a nontoxic Hg–Se protein complex protecting loons migrating through areas that are relatively Se rich. Although the acquisition of Se during the nonbreeding season may decrease the toxicity of Hg, future research should consider the synergistic Hg–Se effect on reproduction in common loons that migrate through Se-rich locales, such as the Great Lakes.

Children’s Exposure to Metals: A Community-Initiated Study by Anna Carita Callan; Matthew Winters; Caroline Barton; Mary Boyce; Andrea Lee Hinwood (pp. 714-722).

In 2007, it was shown that the shipping of lead (Pb) through Esperance Port in Western Australia resulted in contamination and increased Pb concentrations in children. A clean-up strategy was implemented; however, little attention was given to other metals. In consultation with the community, a cross-sectional exposure study was designed. Thirty-nine children aged 1 to 12 years provided samples of hair, urine, drinking water, residential soil and dust. Concentrations of nickel (Ni) and Pb were low in biological and environmental samples. Hair aluminium (Al) (lower than the detection limit [DL] to 251 μg/g) and copper (Cu) (7 to 415 μg/g), as well as urinary Al (

Erratum to: Toxicity of Electronic Waste Leachates to Daphnia magna: Screening and Toxicity Identification Evaluation of Different Products, Components, and Materials by Delilah Lithner; Maja Halling; Göran Dave (pp. 723-724).

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Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (v.62, #4)