title: [Wild pigeons (Columbia livia, forma urbana) as a medium of monitoring for evaluation of cadmium pollution in urban areas].
abstract: The levels of Cd, Zn, and Cu in the kidneys and liver of 23 pigeons from Lodz and Cracow were determined by flame AAS, after wet digestion. Metallothionein (MT) was determined radiochemically using 203Hg, in the liver of 5 pigeons. The mean concentrations were: 7.2 micrograms Cd/g; 43.2 micrograms Zn/g and 5: 3 micrograms Cu/g w.w in the kidneys; and 1, 4 micrograms Cd/g; 51.5 micrograms Zn/g and 5.0 micrograms Cu/g w.w in the liver. The correlations between Cd in kidneys and liver (r = 0.88), and MT (mean: 0.37 mumol Hg/g w.w) vs Zn (r = 0.99) in the liver were found. The results indicate higher environmental pollution by cadmium in Cracow (kidneys: 11.7 micrograms Cd/g (p < 0.06); liver: 2.1 micrograms Cd/g (p < 0.01) than in Lodz (4.4 and 1.0 micrograms Cd/g respectively), and are in accordance with preliminary human data in the inhabitants of these two regions. It can be assumed that pigeons are a sensitive biomonitor of environmental pollution by cadmium.
authors.affiliation: Zakład Chemii Toksykologicznej Akademii Medycznej w Lodzi.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Orłowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis*; D010856:Columbidae; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000737:chemistry*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry*; D011044:Poland; D014507:Urbanization; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper; D015032:Zinc
vernacular_title: Dzikie gołebie (Columba livia, forma urbana) jako medium monitoringowe dla oceny zanieczyszczenia kadmem obszarów wielkomiejskich.