Persistent organochlorine compounds in peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs from South Greenland:Levels and temporal changes between 1986 and 2003

Thirty-seven addled peregrine falcon eggs collected in South Greenland between 1986 and 2003 wereanalysed for their content of the organochlorine compounds polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltricloroethane (DDT) and its degradation products, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers andhexa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environment International
Main Authors: Vorkamp, Katrin, Thomsen, Marianne, Møller, Søren, Falk, Knud, Sørensen, Peter B.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2009
Subjects:
Arktis
Trækfugle
Vandrefalk
Arctic
DDT
Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)
Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH)
Migratory birds
Peregrine falcon
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
p,p′-DDE
Time trend
Greenland
Norway
Arktis*
Falco peregrinus
peregrine falcon
vandrefalk
Alaska
Online Access:https://forskning.ruc.dk/da/publications/d2616690-8e1c-11dd-a31f-000ea68e967b
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2008.08.008
https://hdl.handle.net/1800/d2616690-8e1c-11dd-a31f-000ea68e967b
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Summary:Thirty-seven addled peregrine falcon eggs collected in South Greenland between 1986 and 2003 wereanalysed for their content of the organochlorine compounds polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltricloroethane (DDT) and its degradation products, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers andhexachlorobenzene (HCB). PCBs and DDT (including metabolites) were by far the most abundant OC groups,with median concentrations of 55 and 40 μg/g lw, respectively. The concentrations were high in an Arcticcontext, but similar to previously reported levels from Alaska and Norway and slightly lower thanconcentrations measured in eggs from industrialised regions. Geographical differences may be of importance,considering the migration of peregrine falcons and their prey. ΣHCH and HCB had median concentrations of0.39 and 0.17 μg/g lw, respectively. On average, DDE accounted for 97% of ΣDDT, but was below critical levelsfor eggshell thinning. All compound groups showed a weak decreasing trend over the study period, whichwas statistically significant for HCB and close to being significant for ΣHCH. The weak decrease of ΣPCB andΣDDT is different from other time trend studies from Greenland, usually showing a more pronounceddecrease in the beginning of the study period, followed by a certain stabilisation in recent years

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