Accumulation of anticoagulant rodenticides in a non-target insectivore, the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus).
Studies on exposure of non-targets to anticoagulant rodenticides have largely focussed on predatory birds and mammals; insectivores have rarely been studied. We investigated the exposure of 120 European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) from throughout Britain to first- and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (FGARs and SGARs) using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection (HPLC) and liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS). The proportion of hedgehogs with liver SGAR concentrations detected by HPLC was 3-13% per compound, 23% overall. LCMS identified much higher prevalence for difenacoum and bromadiolone, mainly because of greater ability to detect low-level contamination. The overall proportion of hedgehogs with LCMS-detected residues was 57.5% (SGARs alone) and 66.7% (FGARs and SGARs combined); 27 (22.5%) hedgehogs contained >1 rodenticide. Exposure of insectivores and predators to anticoagulant rodenticides appears to be similar. The greater sensitivity of LCMS suggests that hitherto exposure of non-targets is likely to have been under-estimated using HPLC techniques.
Dowding
Claire V
CV
School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK. claire.dowding@naturalengland.org.uk
Shore
Richard F
RF
Worgan
Andrew
A
Baker
Philip J
PJ
Harris
Stephen
S
D000818:Animals; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006364:Hedgehogs / Q000378:metabolism*; D012378:Rodenticides / Q000378:metabolism*
D000925:Anticoagulants; D012378:Rodenticides