Mercury, Methylmercury, and Selenium in Blood of Bird Species from Doñana National Park (Southwestern Spain) After a Mining Accident

Overview

Journal Environ Sci Pollut Res Int

Publisher Springer

Specialties Environmental Health
Toxicology

Date 2013 Feb 15

PMID 23407930

Citations 5

Authors

C Rodriguez Alvarez

M Jimenez Moreno

L Lopez Alonso

B Gomara

F J Guzman Bernardo

R C Rodriguez Martin-Doimeadios

M J Gonzalez

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Total mercury (Hg), monomethylmercury (MeHg), and selenium (Se) were determined in blood of 11 bird species living in Doñana National Park (DNP, Southwestern Spain) and the surrounding area in 1999 and 2000 after a mine spill accident. The total Hg contents found varied from 1.00 to 587 ng/mL, with an MeHg percentage higher than 80 %, except in mallard species. In all the cases, the concentrations found were below the threshold of high risk for the bird populations. The parameters which most affected the accumulation of Hg and MeHg in the birds studied were, first, species, or trophic position, and second sampling area. Age does not seem to have a great influence on the content of Hg in the blood of these birds. The levels of Se found ranged from 108 to 873 ng/mL, and they were not affected by species, trophic level, age, or sampling area. The blood Hg concentrations of birds living in the area directly affected by the toxic mud, outside the park, were higher than those found in the other birds, and this could be explained by the mine spill accident happened in 1998.

Citing Articles

Evidence of Low-Habitat Contamination Using Feathers of Three Heron Species as a Biomonitor of Inorganic Elemental Pollution.

Canova L, Sturini M, Profumo A, Maraschi F Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(21).

PMID: 33114248 PMC: 7660610. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17217776.

Interactions between Environmental Contaminants and Gastrointestinal Parasites: Novel Insights from an Integrative Approach in a Marine Predator.

Carravieri A, Burthe S, de la Vega C, Yonehara Y, Daunt F, Newell M Environ Sci Technol. 2020; 54(14):8938-8948.

PMID: 32551599 PMC: 7467638. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c03021.

Mercury levels in birds and small rodents from Las Orquideas National Natural Park, Colombia.

Sierra-Marquez L, Penuela-Gomez S, Franco-Espinosa L, Gomez-Ruiz D, Diaz-Nieto J, Sierra-Marquez J Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2018; 25(35):35055-35063.

PMID: 30324378 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3359-2.

Recent Developments in the Speciation and Determination of Mercury Using Various Analytical Techniques.

Suvarapu L, Baek S J Anal Methods Chem. 2015; 2015:372459.

PMID: 26236539 PMC: 4506829. DOI: 10.1155/2015/372459.

Breeding near a landfill may influence blood metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, Fe, Zn) and metalloids (Se, As) in white stork (Ciconia ciconia) nestlings.

De la Casa-Resino I, Hernandez-Moreno D, Castellano A, Perez-Lopez M, Soler F Ecotoxicology. 2014; 23(8):1377-86.

PMID: 25011922 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-014-1280-0.

References

Bennett R, French Jr J, Rossmann R, Haebler R . Dietary toxicity and tissue accumulation of methylmercury in American kestrels. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2008; 56(1):149-56. DOI: 10.1007/s00244-008-9168-8. View

Carvalho C, Chew E, Hashemy S, Lu J, Holmgren A . Inhibition of the human thioredoxin system. A molecular mechanism of mercury toxicity. J Biol Chem. 2008; 283(18):11913-23. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M710133200. View

Eagles-Smith C, Ackerman J, Adelsbach T, Takekawa J, Miles A, Keister R . Mercury correlations among six tissues for four waterbird species breeding in San Francisco Bay, California, USA. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2008; 27(10):2136-53. DOI: 10.1897/08-038.1. View

Scheuhammer A, Basu N, Burgess N, Elliott J, Campbell G, Wayland M . Relationships among mercury, selenium, and neurochemical parameters in common loons (Gavia immer) and bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Ecotoxicology. 2007; 17(2):93-101. DOI: 10.1007/s10646-007-0170-0. View

Spallholz J, Hoffman D . Selenium toxicity: cause and effects in aquatic birds. Aquat Toxicol. 2002; 57(1-2):27-37. DOI: 10.1016/s0166-445x(01)00268-5. View

Franson J, Hoffman D, Schmutz J . Blood selenium concentrations and enzyme activities related to glutathione metabolism in wild emperor geese. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2002; 21(10):2179-84. View

Kenow K, Meyer M, Hines R, Karasov W . Distribution and accumulation of mercury in tissues of captive-reared common loon (Gavia immer) chicks. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2007; 26(5):1047-55. DOI: 10.1897/06-193r.1. View

Grimalt J, Ferrer M, Macpherson E . The mine tailing accident in Aznalcollar. Sci Total Environ. 2000; 242(1-3):3-11. DOI: 10.1016/s0048-9697(99)00372-1. View

Burger J, Gochfeld M, Jeitner C, Snigaroff D, Snigaroff R, Stamm T . Assessment of metals in down feathers of female common eiders and their eggs from the Aleutians: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, and selenium. Environ Monit Assess. 2007; 143(1-3):247-56. PMC: 4300135. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-007-9973-y. View

10.

Heinz G, Pendleton G, Krynitsky A, Gold L . Selenium accumulation and elimination in mallards. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1990; 19(3):374-9. DOI: 10.1007/BF01054981. View

11.

Hernandez L, Gomara G, Fernandez M, Jimenez B, Gonzalez M, Baos R . Accumulation of heavy metals and As in wetland birds in the area around Doñana National Park affected by the Aznalcollar toxic spill. Sci Total Environ. 2000; 242(1-3):293-308. DOI: 10.1016/s0048-9697(99)00397-6. View

12.

Grand J, Franson J, Flint P, Petersen M . Concentrations of trace elements in eggs and blood of spectacled and common eiders on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, USA. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2002; 21(8):1673-8. View

13.

Conover M, Vest J . Concentrations of selenium and mercury in eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) from Utah's Great Salt Lake, USA. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2009; 28(6):1319-23. DOI: 10.1897/08-494.1. View

14.

Bischoff K, Pichner J, Braselton W, Counard C, Evers D, Edwards W . Mercury and selenium concentrations in livers and eggs of common loons (Gavia immer) from Minnesota. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2001; 42(1):71-6. DOI: 10.1007/s002440010293. View

15.

Nevado J, Rodriguez Martin-Doimeadios R, Krupp E, Guzman Bernardo F, Farinas N, Jimenez Moreno M . Comparison of gas chromatographic hyphenated techniques for mercury speciation analysis. J Chromatogr A. 2011; 1218(28):4545-51. DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2011.05.036. View

16.

Wayland M, Garcia-Fernandez A, Neugebauer E, Gilchrist H . Concentrations of cadmium, mercury and selenium in blood, liver and kidney of common eider ducks from the Canadian arctic. Environ Monit Assess. 2001; 71(3):255-67. DOI: 10.1023/a:1011850000360. View

17.

Becker P, Furness R, Henning D . The value of chick feathers to assess spatial and interspecific variation in the mercury contamination of seabirds. Environ Monit Assess. 2013; 28(3):255-62. DOI: 10.1007/BF00545769. View

18.

Saeki K, Okabe Y, Kim E, Tanabe S, Fukuda M, Tatsukawa R . Mercury and cadmium in common cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo). Environ Pollut. 2004; 108(2):249-55. DOI: 10.1016/s0269-7491(99)00181-5. View

19.

Benito V, Devesa V, Munoz O, Suner M, Montoro R, Baos R . Trace elements in blood collected from birds feeding in the area around Doñana National Park affected by the toxic spill from the Aznacóllar mine. Sci Total Environ. 2000; 242(1-3):309-23. DOI: 10.1016/s0048-9697(99)00398-8. View

20.

Gonzalez J, Hernandez L, Hernan A, BALUJA G . Multivariate analysis of water contamination by heavy metals at Doñana National Park. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 1985; 35(2):266-71. DOI: 10.1007/BF01636508. View