Selenium accumulation and reproduction in birds breeding downstream of a uranium mill in northern Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract

Selenium (Se) concentrations in aquatic invertebrates and bird eggs collected along the treated effluent receiving environment of the Key Lake uranium mill in northern Saskatchewan were significantly greater than from nearby reference areas, and in some cases (e.g., eggs of common loons--Gavia immer) were higher than commonly used thresholds for adverse reproductive effects in birds (i.e., 5 μg/g dry weight in diet; 12-15 μg/g dry weight in eggs). Mean Se concentrations in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs reached a maximum of 13.3 μg/g dry weight at the point of treated effluent discharge and exhibited a gradient of decreasing Se concentrations with increasing distance from the effluent discharge, probably reflecting both effluent dilution and local site fidelity by nesting swallows. In some cases, high intra-clutch variability in Se concentrations in mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and tree swallow eggs was observed in high-Se sites, suggesting that a single egg randomly sampled from a nest in an area of higher Se exposure may not be representative of Se concentrations in other eggs from the same nest. Overall, tree swallow reproductive success was similar in both exposed and reference areas.