Persistent organochlorine pollutants in eggs of colonial waterbirds from Galveston Bay and East

• Main Authors: Donell S. Frank, Miguel A. Mora, Jose L. Sericano, Alan L. Blankenship, Kurunthachalam Kannan, John P. Giesy
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: Alexander Island
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.541.2414; http://people.tamu.edu/~mmora/ETC01-20.pdf

Abstract—Eggs of neotropic cormorants (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), and great egrets (Ardea alba) nesting on several locations in Galveston Bay (TX, USA) and at two control sites outside the bay were collected during April–May 1996 and analyzed for chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and polychlor-inated dibenzofurans. Additionally, concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents (TCDD-EQs) were determined by use of relative potency factors (TEQs) or the H4IIE-luc bioassay TCDD-EQs. Concentrations of 1,1,-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlo-rophenyl)ethylene (DDE) were greater in eggs of neotropic cormorants from Alexander Island (mean 5 1,040 ng/g wet wt) in the Houston Ship Channel (Houston, TX, USA) and in those from Telfair Island (mean 5 1,460 ng/g wet wt), a reference location outside the bay, than in most locations inside the bay (mean range 5 119–453 ng/g wet wt). Mean PCB concentrations were greater in eggs of neotropic cormorants from Alexander Island (mean 5 5,720 ng/g wet wt) than in eggs of cormorants from areas farther away from the ship channel, including two reference sites outside the bay (mean range 5 404–3,140 ng/g wet wt). The TCDD was the main dioxin congener detected in eggs from all locations within Galveston Bay. Instrumental TEQs in eggs ranged from 67 pg/g wet weight at control sites to 452 pg/g wet weight at Alexander Island. Concentrations of TCDD-EQs determined in the H4IIE assay were correlated with instrumental TEQs and were greater in eggs of cormorants from islands within the bay, although