Species-specific accumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants in birds of prey from the Chesapeake Bay region, USA

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 158; no. 5; pp. 1883 - 1889
• Main Authors: Chen, Da, Hale, Robert C., Watts, Bryan D., La Guardia, Mark J., Harvey, Ellen, Mojica, Elizabeth K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2010; Elsevier Science Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Aves; BDE-209; Bioaccumulation; Biological and medical sciences; Biomagnification factor; Birds; birds of prey; breeding; chemistry; Chesapeake Bay; Congeners; Contamination; DDE (pesticide); Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on vertebrates; eggs; Environmental Monitoring; estuaries; Ethers; Falco peregrinus; Falco perigrinus; Falconiformes; Falconiformes - physiology; falcons; Feeding Behavior; fish; flame retardants; Flame Retardants - metabolism; Food Chain; food webs; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - metabolism; Hazard quotient; Hazards; landscapes; Maryland; metabolism; Osprey; Ovum; Ovum - chemistry; Pandion haliaetus; PBDEs; Peregrine falcon; persistent organic pollutants; Phalacrocorax auritus; physiology; polybrominated diphenyl ethers; polychlorinated biphenyls; reproductive performance; Species Specificity; United States; Urbanization; United States; North America; America; Maryland; Chesapeake Bay; ANW, USA, Chesapeake Bay; USA; Hazard quotient; Osprey; Biomagnification factor; Peregrine falcon; PBDEs; BDE-209; Toxicity; Flame retardant; Species specificity; Low volatile compound; Falco peregrinus; Raptor; Persistent organic pollutant; Vertebrata; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Pandion haliaetus; Bromine Organic compounds; Aves; Biological accumulation; Organic compounds; Biomagnification
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.10.042

Compared to organochlorines, little is known about polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) contamination of birds of prey breeding in the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the U.S. This study examined and compared PBDE contamination in eggs of osprey, double-crested cormorant, brown pelican and peregrine falcon from this area. Several legacy persistent organic pollutants such as PCBs and DDE were also investigated. The level of urbanization of the landscape appeared to influence the level of PBDE exposure. PBDE congener distribution patterns varied between piscivorous and terrestrial-feeding birds. This suggests individual congeners may be subject to differences in bioaccumulation, biomagnification or metabolism in the aquatic and terrestrial food webs. Biomagnification of PBDEs was studied in the Bay aquatic food chains for the first time. A biomagnification factor of 25.1 was estimated for ΣPBDEs for the fish – osprey egg food chain. Hazard quotients, applied as a preliminary evaluation, indicated that PBDEs may pose a moderate hazard to ospreys and peregrine falcons through impairment of reproductive performance. Birds of prey breeding in the Chesapeake Bay (USA) exhibited species-specific PBDE accumulation patterns.