Seabirds, PCDD

In conclusion, historically it appears that there have been several AHR-mediated effects in seabirds in the Great Lakes, which probably contributed to reproductive failure and an increased incidence of live-abnormalities (in cormorants), but most of these were due to the effect of AHR PCB congeners, primarily PCB 126. The exceptions may be Lake Ontario and Saginaw Bay, where 2378-TeCDD concentrations and all PCDD/F concentrations, respectively, were very high in the 1970s. Contemporary AHR-mediated effects in Great Lakes seabirds are more likely to be subtle, such as effects on immune system function and fatty acid synthesis, rather than population-level effects such as reduction in reproductive success. Hoffman et al. [116] reviewed PCB and PCDD/F toxicity in birds. 

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