Levels and trends of toxaphene and chlordane-related pesticides in peregrine falcon eggs from South Greenland.
Peregrine falcon eggs were collected in South Greenland between 1986 and 2003 and analysed for 6 congeners of toxaphene and 5 chlordane-related pesticides (cis-chlordane, trans-chlordane, cis-nonachlor, trans-nonachlor and oxychlordane). Oxychlordane had the highest median concentration of 1448 ng/g lipid weight (lw) or 79 ng/g wet weight (ww) of all compounds. Of the toxaphene congeners, CHB-50 was the predominant congener, with a median concentration of 215 ng/g lw (15.5 ng/g ww). Chlordane-related concentrations were comparable with results from the USA, but lower than those from Canada and Norway. Toxaphene was considerably higher than in eggs of Norwegian peregrine falcon eggs, possibly reflecting different toxaphene usage in the areas of peregrine falcon migration. Toxaphene information in birds of prey is limited and comparisons with other species indicate differences in concentrations and organochlorine pattern. Temporal trends showed significant log-linear decreases for cis-chlordane and trans-chlordane, but no significant trends for other chlordanes or the toxaphene congeners, probably affected by the large variation between eggs, also of the same bird. Correlations between chlordanes and toxaphene in the Greenland peregrine falcon eggs might suggest similar sources of exposure.
Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark. Electronic address: kvo@dmu.dk.
Katrin
K
Vorkamp
Søren
S
Møller
Knud
K
Falk
Frank F
FF
Rigét
Marianne
M
Thomsen
Peter B
PB
Sørensen
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002706:Chlordan / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D046093:Falconiformes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D005843:Geography; D006116:Greenland; D010063:Ovum / Q000378:metabolism*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000378:metabolism*; D014112:Toxaphene / Q000378:metabolism
D010575:Pesticides; D002706:Chlordan; D014112:Toxaphene
Arctic; Birds of prey; Falco peregrinus; Oxychlordane; Persistent organic pollutants; Terrestrial environment