Reproductive failure

Concentrations of PCBs in fish from each of the Great Lakes currently exceed the GLWQA objectives for the protection of aquatic life. Similarly, concentrations of some substances (e.g., PCBs, Hg, mirex, toxaphene) in Great Lakes fish continue to exceed acceptable guidelines for human consumption. Documented effects in the Great Lakes include reproductive failure, congenital abnormalities and induction of tumours in various aquatic, terrestrial and avian species (23). 

Gibbs, P.E. and Bryan, G.W. (1986). Reproductive failure in populations of the dog whelk caused byimposex induced by TBT from antifouling paints. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 66, 767-777. 

Nash, J.P., Kime, D.E., and van der Ven, L.T.M. et al. (2004). Long term exposures to environmental concentrations of the pharmaceutical ethynylestradiol causes reproductive failure in fish. Environmental Health Perspectives 112, 1725-1733. 

Aulerich RJ, Ringer RK, Iwamoto S. 1973. Reproductive failure and mortahty in mink fed on Great Lakes fish. J Reprod Fertil Suppl 19 8365-376. 

Mirex has considerable potential for chronic toxicity because it is only partly metabolized, is eliminated very slowly, and is accumulated in the fat, liver, and brain. The most common effects observed in small laboratory mammals fed mirex included weight loss, enlarged livers, altered liver enzyme metabolism, and reproductive failure. Mirex reportedly crossed placental membranes and accumulated in fetal tissues. Among the progeny of mirex-treated mammals, developmental abnormalities included cataracts, heart defects, scoliosis, and cleft palates (NAS 1978 Blus 1995). 

Cumbie, P.M. and S.L. Van Horn. 1978. Selenium accumulation associated with fish mortality and reproductive failure. Proc. Annu. Conf. Southeast Assoc. Fish Wildl. Agen. 32 612-624. 

The first experimental indication of an adverse effect of excess dietary zinc on animals was revealed by Sutton and Nelson (1) in 1937. These researchers observed decreased growth, anemia, and reproductive failures in rats fed diets containing 0.5% to 1% zinc. Following this initial report, several studies were conducted by various researchers, but most of the studies pertaining to zinc toxicity between the late 1930 s and the early 1950 s primarily focused on the effects of zinc toxicity on growth and on copper and iron metabolism. During 1951 and 1952 a series of reports by... 

Intermediate-duration studies with treated females show that exposure to chlordecone may result in persistent vaginal estrus, decreased ovulation, and reproductive failure. Persistent vaginal estrus was observed in female mice at doses as low as 2 mg/kg/day for 3-6 weeks (Huber 1965 Swartz and Mall 1989 Swartz et al. 1988). Increased atresia of follicles (Swartz and Mall 1989), decreased ovulation (Swartz et al. 1988), and small and medium-sized follicles (Swartz and Mall 1989) have been observed after 4 weeks of exposure to 8 mg/kg/day of chlordecone. Similarly, decreased corpora lutea have been observed following administration of 3.9 mg/kg/day for 130 days (Huber 1965). Decreased numbers of litters or complete reproductive failure have been observed after exposure of female rats to 1.62-1.71 mg/kg/day for 4.5 months or female mice to 5.2 mg/kg/day for 160 days (Huber 1965). 

Trace metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, mercury, zinc) Industrial and municipal wastewaters runoff from urban areas and landfill erosion of contaminated soils and sediments atmospheric deposition Toxic effects including birth defects, reproductive failure, cancer, and systemic poisoning. 

Exposure to oil pollution can cause sublethal effects on marine biota, such as reduced growth rate and reproductive failure. The type and severity of the effect depends on (1) the concentration of petroleum, (2) length of exposure, (3) persistence and bioavailability of specific hydrocarbons, and (4) the ability of organisms to accumulate and metabolize... 

Taurine deficiency is rare in adult humans but is common in domestic cats, due to poor absorption from tinned catfood. Consequences of taurine deficiency in cats are cardiomyopathy, retinal degradation, reproductive failure in females, developmental abnormalities and impairment of the immune system. It is possible that a chronic deficiency in humans may have similar effects. 

Eppley Z. 1992. Assessing indirect effects of oil in the presence of natural variation The problem of reproductive failure in South Polar Skuas during the Bahia Paraisa oil spill. Marine Pollution Bulletin 25(9-12) 307-312. 

McKinney JD, Maurer RR, Hass JR, et al. 1975. Possible factors in the drinking water of laboratory animals causing reproductive failure. In Keith LH, ed. Identification and Analysis of Organic Pollutants in Water. Ann Arbor, Ml Ann Arbor Science Publishers Inc., 417-432. 

Reijnders, P.J.H. (1986). Reproductive failure in common seals feeding on fish from polluted coastal waters. Nature 324 456-457. 

Gibbs, RE. and G.W. Bryan. 1986. Reproductive failure in populations of the dog-whelk, Nucella lapillus, caused by knposex induced from tributyltin from antifouling paints. Jour. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK. 66 767-777. 

So, how much of the reproductive failure of herring gulls in Lake Ontario in the early 1970s can be attributed to AHR-mediated effects A case can be made that relative species sensitivity of birds to embryo mortal-... 

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