title: A 4 year follow-up analysis of genotoxic damage in birds of the Doñana area (south west Spain) in the wake of the 1998 mining waste spill.
abstract: A total of 330 white storks (Ciconia ciconia) and 138 black kites (Milvus migrans) were blood sampled during four consecutive years in an area heavily contaminated as a consequence of a massive spillage of toxic acid mining waste rich in heavy metals that impacted on the Doñana National Park (south western Spain), in April 1998. The alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet) assay was performed as a genotoxicity test, in order to assess whether the high level of DNA damage first detected by us 1 year after the disaster was still present in birds in each of the successive 3 years. Our results clearly show that, when compared with control individuals from non-polluted areas, white storks and black kites born in the contaminated area for a period of up to 4 years after the toxic accident have suffered an increase of at least 2- to 10-fold in the level of their genetic damage through the study period. Taken as a whole, these observations seem to indicate that the toxic spill still appears to be affecting the wildlife 4 years after the mining disaster and that attempts at cleaning up the waste have proved ineffective based on DNA damage detection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Avenida Reina Mercedes no. 6, 41012 Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pastor
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baos
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López-Lázaro
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jovani
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Tella
authors.forename: Nabil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hajji
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hiraldo
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cortés
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000235:genetics*; D020552:Comet Assay; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007220:Industrial Waste; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000633:toxicity; D008906:Mining; D009425:Nesting Behavior; D013030:Spain; D013045:Species Specificity; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D019216:Metals, Heavy