Polychlorinated biphenyls birds

Borlakogln, J.T., Wilkins, J.P.G., and Walker, C.H. (1988). Polychlorinated biphenyls in sea birds—molecnlar features and metabolic interpretations. Marine Environmental Research 24, 15-19. 

Ankley, G.T., G.J. Niemi, K.B. Lodge, HJ. Harris, D.L. Beaver, D.E. Tillitt, R.R. Schwartz, J.P. Giesy, P.D. Jones, and C. Hagley. 1993. Uptake of planar polychlorinated biphenyls and 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzofurans and dihenxo-p-dioxins by birds nesting in the lower Fox River and Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 24 332-344. 

Boumphrey, R.S., S.J. Harrad, K.C. Jones, and D. Osborn. 1993. Polychlorinated biphenyl congener patterns in tissues from a selection of British birds. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 25 346-352. 

Elliott, J.E., S.W. Kennedy, D. Jeffrey, and L. Shutt. 1991. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) effects on hepatic mixed function oxidases and porphyria in birds. II. American kestrel. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 99C 141-145. 

Focardi, S., C. Leonzio, and C. Fossi. 1988b. Variations in polychlorinated biphenyl congener composition in eggs of Mediterranean water birds in relation to their position in the food chain. Environ. Pollut. 52 243-255. 

Mora, M.A. 1995. Residues and Trends of Organochlorine and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Birds from Texas, 1965-88. U.S. Natl. Biol. Serv., Fish Wildl. Resear. 14. 26 pp. 

In one of the founding studies in immunotoxicology, Friend and Trainer [77] demonstrated that exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) increased mortality of mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings challenged with duck hepatitis virus. Since then the field of avian immunotoxicology has expanded to show that both the structure and function of the avian immune system often is affected by a diverse array of environmental contaminants, including heavy metals, pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, and organic industrial chemicals. Wild birds have proven to be excellent sentinel species for assess-... 

PCB organic compounds found as soil and water contaminants continue to grow each year. They include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phenols, cyanides, plasticizers, solvents, and numerous industrial chemicals. PCBs were historically used as coolants in electrical transformers and are also known by-products of the plastic, lubricant, rubber, and paper industries. They are stable, lipophilic, and break down only slowly in tissues. Because of these properties they accumulate to high concentrations in fish and waterfowl in 1969 PCBs were responsible for the death of thousands of birds in the Irish Sea. 

Senthilkumar, K., Iseki, N., Hayama, S., Nakanishi, J., Masunaga, S., 2002. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in livers of birds from Japan. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 42, 244-255. 

Tanabe, S., Senthilkumar, K., Kannan, K., Subramanian, A.N., 1998. Accumulation features of polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in resident and migratory birds from south India. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 34, 387-397. 

Broughton RK, Osborn D, Shore RF, Wienburg CL, Wadsworth RA. 2003. Identifying pollution hot spots from polychlorinated biphenyl residues in birds of prey. Environ Toxicol Chem 22 2519-2524. 

G6mara, B. Gonzalez, M.J., Enantiomeric fractions and congener specific determination of polychlorinated biphenyls in eggs of predatory birds from Donana National Park (Spain) Chemosphere 2006, 63, 662-669. 

Polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDE) are common impurities in chlorophenol formulations, which were earlier used as fungicides, slimicides, and as wood preservatives. PCDEs are structurally and by physical properties similar to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). They have low water solubility and are lipophilic. PCDEs are quite resistant to degradation and are persistent in the environment. In the aquatic environment, PCDEs bioaccumulate. These compounds are found in sediment, mussel, fish, bird, and seal. PCDEs show biomagnification potential, since levels of PCDEs increase in species at higher trophic levels. PCDEs are also detected in human tissue. Despite the persistence and bio accumulation, the significance of PCDEs as environmental contaminants is uncertain. The acute toxicity and Ah-receptor-me-diated (aryl hydrocarbon) activity of PCDEs is low compared to those of polychlorinated di-benzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF). Due to structural similarity to thyroid hormone, PCDEs could bind to thyroid hormone receptor and alter thyroid function. Furthermore, PCDEs might be metabolized to toxic metabolites. In the environment, it is possible that photolysis converts PCDEs to toxic PCDDs and PCDFs. 

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