Non-destructive pollution exposure assessment in the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus): IV. Hair versus soil analysis in exposure and risk assessment of organochlorine compounds.
Few ecotoxicological studies on mammals use non-destructive methodologies, despite the growing ethical concern over the use of destructive sampling methods. In the present study we assessed exposure of hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), by investigating concentrations of these compounds in soils and hedgehog hair from seven study sites around the urban area of Antwerp, Belgium. No relationships were observed between organochlorine compound concentrations in soils and hair from the different study areas. Furthermore, the individual variation of contamination levels in hair within study sites was high, especially for HCHs and HCB, and hair and soil had different relative profiles for PCBs, DDTs and HCHs. Our results show that concentrations of organochlorine compounds in soils alone are not predictive of the risk of these pollutants to hedgehogs and that tissue analyses are preferred to soil analyses in exposure and risk assessment studies.
D'Havé
Helga
H
Department of Biology, Ecophysiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology Group, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium. helga.dhave@ua.ac.be
Scheirs
Jan
J
Covaci
Adrian
A
van den Brink
Nico W
NW
Verhagen
Ron
R
De Coen
Wim
W
D000818:Animals; D003634:DDT / Q000032:analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005659:Fungicides, Industrial / Q000032:analysis; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006364:Hedgehogs / Q000378:metabolism*; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000032:analysis; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane / Q000032:analysis; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000032:analysis; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005659:Fungicides, Industrial; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D007306:Insecticides; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane; D003634:DDT; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls