Poisoning Of Birds Research Articles

CURRENT STATUS OF THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK IN THE PLANT PROTECTION AND ECOLOGY AND HYGIENE MONITORING DOMAIN IN UKRAINE

Presently chemical plant protection products are an inseparable part of agriculture. They have not only their main purpose of plant assistance, but they also have the potential risk of negative impact on biocenosis species (birds, bees, soil microflora, algae, etc.) and the human body and its health respectively. The purpose of our study was to aggregate data on the existing legal framework of plant protection products in Ukraine and assess their ecology and hygiene monitoring. For analysis of the plant chemical protection, we used as the basic documents the regulatory framework of domestic legislation in toxicological and hygiene, ecology assessment, and ecology and hygiene monitoring domains. Currently, many laws and legal acts regulate the use of pesticides by state and private agricultural farms in Ukraine. This number of documents covers not only pre-registration studies of pesticides but also their post-registration monitoring in the environment. The key entities that control potential negative risks of these products through the regulations are the State Emergency Service, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Housing and Communal Services, Ministry of Agriculture Policy, State Agency of Water Resources, State Committee of Land Resources, State Agency of the Forest Resources. However, the impact of xenobiotics on non-target species of the ecosystem is currently quite underestimated. The decline in biodiversity directly depends on the condition of the environment and the negative impact on it. Instances of acute oral, inhalation, or dermal poisoning of birds, bees, and aquatic invertebrates with pesticides are quite common and among the factors that affect public health. That is why ecology and hygiene monitoring is essential in line with the assessment of the risks of the inappropriate release of pesticides. These should be treated as a critical component of managing environmental sustainability and safety for public health. The implementation of global approaches to monitoring and controlling the post- registration impact of pesticides on the ecology and hygiene in Ukraine can also take into account the far-reaching consequences of their negative impact, accumulation, and environmental pollution. As a result, this will help to avoid adverse impacts on animal, insect, and bird populations, as well as human health.

Do Pharmaceuticals in the Environment Pose a Risk to Wildlife?

The vast majority of knowledge related to the question "To what extent do pharmaceuticals in the environment pose a risk to wildlife?" stems from the Asian vulture crisis (>99% decline of some species of Old World vultures on the Indian subcontinent related to the veterinary use of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug [NSAID] diclofenac). The hazard of diclofenac and other NSAIDs (carprofen, flunixin, ketoprofen, nimesulide, phenylbutazone) to vultures and other avian species has since been demonstrated; indeed, only meloxicam and tolfenamic acid have been found to be vulture-safe. Since diclofenac was approved for veterinary use in Spain and Italy in 2013 (home to ~95% of vultures in Europe), the risk of NSAIDs to vultures in these countries has become one of the principal concerns related to pharmaceuticals and wildlife. Many of the other bodies of work on pharmaceutical exposure, hazard and risk to wildlife also relate to adverse effects in birds (e.g., poisoning of scavenging birds in North America and Europe from animal carcasses containing pentobarbital, secondary and even tertiary poisoning of birds exposed to pesticides used in veterinary medicine as cattle dips, migratory birds as a vector for the transfer of antimicrobial and antifungal resistance). Although there is some research related to endocrine disruption in reptiles and potential exposure of aerial insectivores, there remain numerous knowledge gaps for risk posed by pharmaceuticals to amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Developing noninvasive sampling techniques and new approach methodologies (e.g., genomic, in vitro, in silico, in ovo) is important if we are to bridge the current knowledge gaps without extensive vertebrate testing. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:595-610. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

The Beetles (Coleoptera) dangerous for Japanese quail Coturnix japonica Temminck et Schlegel, 1849 (Phasanidae) at farms

Reproduction of the Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica Temminck et Schlegel, 1849, at private farms has led to the formation of a complex of insects harming this species of birds. Darkling beetles Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer, 1796) and A. laevigatus (Fabricius, 1781) (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) are the main pests of Japanese quail. Alphitobius diaperinus had already been recorded causing damage to the poultry industry in Crimea. Its larvae and adults attack chicks in the mass. Significant cannibalism is recorded for A. laevigatus in laboratory conditions. We suppose that complex of harmful insects will be added by species of the genus Ulomoides Blackburn, 1888, namely U. dermestoides (Chevrolat, 1878) imported into Ukraine. Properties of the adopted wreckers, providing their invulnerability in poultry houses, are first shown, namely: mass breeding of A. diaperinus due to feeding on other birds, ability of females of U. dermestoides to oviposit eggs during 1,5 month after the singular copulation, duration of the larval stage up to 96–110 days (usually one month long) due to a cannibalism only. The features of development and behavior of U. dermestoides are shown resembling these of A. diaperinus. The results of studies on the lifecycle’ peculiarities carried out at 2012–2019 under the laboratory conditions are given. The practical role of A. diaperinus, A. laevigatus and U. dermestoides is discussed. The forecast regarding the negative impact of U. dermestoides on the aviculture development in the Southern Ukraine is presented. The data on the poisoning of birds (C. japonica) with beetles of bean weevil Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say, 1831) (Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae) are shown. Present contribution is beneficial not only for specialists in fundamental research, but also for practitioners, in particular for personnel of State Veterinary and Plant Health as well as the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service. First worked out and recommended a production trap for a fishing-out in the poultry houses of harmfuls beetles and their larvae at the presence of birds.

Comparing erosion and organ accumulation rates of lead and alternative lead-free ammunition fed to captive domestic ducks.

Lead poisoning of birds of prey from ingestion of ammunition lead has been well documented. Alternative, lead-free ammunition is widely available, but the toxicokinetics of other metals in birds are poorly understood. We tested the erosion of lead, copper, zinc, iron and brass by feeding domestic Pekin ducks (Anas platyrhynchos forma domestica) defined numbers of small metal pellets. The accumulation of these metals was analysed in the breast muscle, brain, pancreas, liver and kidney. Four weeks after application, the ducks were euthanized and necropsied, internal organs tested for metal accumulation and gizzard pellets collected and weighed to record loss by erosion. Degree of erosion was highest in zinc pellets (81% mass loss), followed by iron (46%) and lead (45%) and was only marginal in copper and brass. Only lead showed highly elevated levels of accumulation in organs compared to controls.

Case report: secondary poisoning in a white-tailed sea eagle caused by carbofuran

A juvenile white-tailed sea eagle found alive on an island in the Baltic Sea died due to a secondary carbofuran poisoning. At necropsy, parts of a raven were found in the eagle’s gizzard, including the stomach containing seeds with carbofuran residues. Illegal persecution using poisoned baits often kill scavenging birds of prey. However, secondary poisoning of birds of prey has been rarely reported in Europe. The report aims to raise awareness to include toxicological analysis in forensic examinations in cases of otherwise healthy and well-feed birds found dead with no obvious cause of mortality.

Model Study on the Clinical Signs and Residue Concentrations of Sublethal Carbofuran Poisoning in Birds

The incidence of fatal poisoning of birds of prey caused by carbofuran has increased markedly in Hungary since 2007. An experimental model with broiler chickens was used to study clinical signs of sublethal carbofuran poisoning in birds and to measure the residue concentrations of carbamate in tissues after exposure. Eight chickens were treated with a carbofuran-containing insecticide orally by gastric tube at a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg body weight, and clinical signs of poisoning were observed. Gas chromatography was used to determine carbofuran concentrations in the blood, muscle, and liver samples, and in stomach contents. Poisoning was characterized by typical muscarinic and nicotinic clinical signs without mortality. Carbofuran in the stomach and edible tissues of acutely poisoned birds may lead to secondary poisoning of predators and may also present risks to human health.

Limitations of European Union policy and law for regulating use of lead shot and sinkers: comparisons with North American regulation

AbstractExtensive shooting and angling causes, indirectly, fatal lead poisoning of birds. European Union policy on this major source of pollution is inconsistent with its laws regulating other forms of lead in the environment. Only three countries have banned the use of lead shot completely in the European Union, despite availability of substitutes and evidence that their use is a major contributor to bird conservation. The European Commission uses the criterion of amount of lead deposited and corroded, and the concentration of lead in water and soil, as the basis of their decisions. The USA and Canada used the prevalence of lead poisoning among birds as the basis of policy and law allowing them to reduce lead use at the continental level. The EU and North American policies and law on lead reduction are compared in this study, on the basis of which recommendations are developed indicating how the EU could revise its approach and resolve this environmental problem. Reluctance to act on lead reduction by the European Parliament and its member states reflects the current vested interests of the sporting communities. Companies in eight European countries already produce non‐toxic materials for hunting and shooting, and are not the limiting factor in this issue. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

History of wildlife toxicology

The field of wildlife toxicology can be traced to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Initial reports included unintentional poisoning of birds from ingestion of spent lead shot and predator control agents, alkali poisoning of waterbirds, and die-offs from maritime oil spills. With the advent of synthetic pesticides in the 1930s and 1940s, effects of DDT and other pesticides were investigated in free-ranging and captive wildlife. In response to research findings in the US and UK, and the publication of Silent Spring in 1962, public debate on the hazards of pollutants arose and national contaminant monitoring programs were initiated. Shortly thereafter, population-level effects of DDT on raptorial and fish-eating birds were documented, and effects on other species (e.g., bats) were suspected. Realization of the global nature of organochlorine pesticide contamination, and the discovery of PCBs in environmental samples, launched long-range studies in birds and mammals. With the birth of ecotoxicology in 1969 and the establishment of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in 1979, an international infrastructure began to emerge. In the 1980s, heavy metal pollution related to mining and smelting, agrichemical practices and non-target effects, selenium toxicosis, and disasters such as Chernobyl and the Exxon Valdez dominated the field. Biomarker development, endocrine disruption, population modeling, and studies with amphibians and reptiles were major issues of the 1990s. With the turn of the century, there was interest in new and emerging compounds (pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, surfactants), and potential population-level effects of some compounds. Based upon its history, wildlife toxicology is driven by chemical use and misuse, ecological disasters, and pollution-related events affecting humans. Current challenges include the need to more thoroughly estimate and predict exposure and effects of chemical-related anthropogenic activities on wildlife and their supporting habitat.

Chlordane poisoning of birds in New Jersey, USA

AbstractDuring a 16‐month period in 1996–97, we documented chlordane poisoning in six species of songbirds and four species of raptors in New Jersey. Noteworthy among these cases are recurring mass mortalities of birds at suburban roosts. At one roost we recovered a total of 425 dead or sick birds comprised of 307 common grackles (Quiscalus quiscula), 104 European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), and 14 American robins (Turdus migratorius) over a 3‐week period in July 1997. Sick birds displayed signs consistent with cyclodiene poisoning, including convulsions, opisthotonos, and excessive vocalization. Brain metabolite residues indicative of chlordane poisoning were found in all 23 specimens analyzed. We believe this to be the largest chlordane poisoning incident reported in the United States. Chlordane poisoning was also diagnosed in nine Cooper's hawks (Accipiter cooperi), a statelisted endangered species. The timing of the Cooper's hawk mortalities coincides closely with the July peak in songbird mortalities, suggesting that the hawks might be feeding on birds debilitated by chlordane. The results of this and other studies suggest that chlordane poisoning of birds may be more common than is currently recognized.

Secondary poisoning of birds of prey by the organophosphorus insecticide, phorate

As a part of a monitoring study, five dead or debilitated bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) from the Fraser River Delta of British Columbia (BC), Canada tested positive for residues of the organophosphorus insecticide, phorate. The first group of three birds was found during January and February 1992, from which two eagles were confirmed to have been poisoned by phorate. The second poisonings took place from December 1993 to March 1994, when three eagles and a hawk were confirmed as phorate poisoned. The brain and plasma cholinesterase results are presented along with data on chemical residue analyses of ingesta. Granular phorate, used in the area to control pests on potatoes and other root crops, appears to have a prolonged half-life similar to carbofuran and fensulfothion, two other granular insecticides associated with secondary mortality of raptors in the Fraser Delta. The soil persistence of phorate combined with a high acute toxicity poses a risk to waterfowl which are attracted to flooded fields in the autumn and winter and, thus, to raptors scavenging on dead waterfowl. The manufacturer has voluntarily withdrawn phorate, marketed as Thimet 15G, from the BC market as a result of the evidence presented here

Presentation of a General Algorithm to Include Effect Assessment on Secondary Poisoning in the Derivation of Environmental Quality Criteria.: 2. Terrestrial Food Chains

In a previous study a simple algorithm was presented for effect assessment on secondary poisoning of birds and mammals. This algorithm (MPC = NOECfish-eater/BCFfish) was drawn up by analyzing a two-step aquatic food chain (water-fish-bird/mammal). The algorithm was used to test whether quality criteria set for surface water, based on effect assessment for aquatic organisms, constitute a "safe" level for secondary poisoning. The present study analyzes whether this algorithm can equally well be used for effect assessment in a terrestrial food chain. The pathway soil-earthworm-bird/mammal was used as an example for a terrestrial food chain. Literature data of six selected compounds (lindane, dieldrin, DDT, PCP, cadmium, and mercury) on both bioconcentration factors for earth-worms and toxicity data for birds and mammals were studied. Important differences were found between BCFs for this terrestrial pathway and BCFs for the aquatic pathway analyzed in the previous study. It was found that BCFs for earthworms were more dependent on soil-related properties than on compound-specific properties. Hence, it was concluded that the algorithm MPC = NOECworm-eater/BCFworm can be used only for effect assessment on terrestrial food chains in defined situations. By calculating maximum permissible concentrations for secondary poisoning (MPCsp) for a standard soil situation and comparing these to MPCs for soil organisms, it was concluded that secondary poisoning could be a critical pathway for cadmium and methyl mercury. For methyl mercury secondary poisoning in an aquatic food chain was also a critical pathway. Secondary poisoning of fish-eating birds and mammals is not likely to occur for cadmium at concentrations in water below the MPC calculated for aquatic organisms.

Intentional Poisoning of Birds with Parathion

-Intentional poisoning of birds by farmers is not uncommon but is rarely documented and given proper attention. Two recent cases from New York are illustrative. In the first, at least 5,120 birds, mostly Red-winged Blackbirds (Ageu Tucker and Crabtree 1970, Schafer 1972). Accidental deaths of numerous wild birds have resulted from the agricultural use of parathion. White et al. (1982a, b) reported the deaths of over 1,600 waterfowl, mostly Canada Geese (Branta canadensis), from applications of parathion to agricultural fields in Texas. More insidious and less appreciated is the use of parathion to deliberately poison wild birds. Carson (1962) described the purposeful killing, by farmers, of an estimated 65,000 birds with parathion. Farmers continue to intentionally kill birds with parathion and this report describes the investigation of two recent cases in New York State.

Observations on the accidental poisoning of birds by organophosphate insecticides and other toxic substances.

Details of cases involving the inadvertent exposure of birds to eight toxic substances are recorded. The organophosphate insecticides dichlorvos, diazinon and malathion produced respiratory symptoms which in the former and latter cases were initially thought to be caused by infectious disease. Birds which consumed feed containing fenitrothion showed nervous signs before death. On three separate occasions feral starlings (Sternus vulgaris) were found dead and their gizzard contents contained mevinphos. The rodenticide warfarin was associated with petechial haemorrhages in the skeletal muscles and on the serosal surfaces of one hen. Cyanogenic glycosides from Eucalyptus cladocalyx were responsible for the sudden deaths of ducks and guinea fowl. 'Ornamental dough' containing sodium chloride was fed to birds which were deprived of water and they showed diarrhoea and nervous disorders before death.

Anticholinesterase poisoning of birds: Field monitoring and diagnosis of acute poisoning

AbstractOrganophosphorus and carbamate pesticides are cholinesterase (ChE) inhibiting chemicals that have been responsible for avian die‐offs. Identification of chemicals implicated in these die‐offs is difficult and sometimes conclusions are solely circumstantial. However, when marked depression (inhibition) of brain ChE activity accompanies organophosphorus or carbamate residues in body tissues or ingesta, cause‐effect diagnosis is enhanced. To achieve this end, normal brain ChE activity is estimated for controls of the affected species and then die‐off specimens are individually evaluated for evidence of ChE inhibition. This approach to evaluation of antiChE poisoning may also be used to monitor exposure of vertebrates to field application of organophosphorus or carbamate pesticides. Problems associated with this kind of evaluation, and the main topic of this report, include variability of brain ChE activity among species, postmortem influences of ambient conditions (storage or field) on ChE activity, and differential patterns of ChE activity when inhibited by organophosphorus or carbamate compounds. Other topics discussed are the ChE assay procedure, example case reports and interpretation, and research needed for improving the diagnostic utility of ChE activity in a field situation.

Hazards to wildlife from the use of DDT in orchards

AbstractAn investigation into the poisoning of birds with 1,1,1‐trichloro‐2, 2‐di (4‐chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT) on a fruit farm in South‐East England is described. Pesticide levels in wild birds were sufficient to be held responsible for deaths. It is suggested that levels in samples of soil, earthworms, sludge, eggs, etc. did not indicate the source of the poisoning. Examination of caged birds following exposure to normal spraying indicated little hazard from this type of operation. Some discussion of the assessment of levels of intoxication is included.

The accumulation and loss of organochlorine insecticide residues by beetles, worms and slugs in sprayed fields

Analyses of samples of ground-beetles, worms and slugs at four sites showed large differences in uptake, retention and metabolism by these groups. Live beetles caught in pitfall traps after field applications of DDT did not contain more than about 4 ppm pp′-DDT, but beetles artificially exposed during spraying acquired up to 70 ppm on their body surfaces. Metabolism to pp′-DDE was rapid and in one species resulted in residues of 58–75 ppm which declined to about 5 ppm after four months. Worms and slugs acquired much higher levels of DDT and these were more persistent. Breakdown in worms was chiefly to DDE and in slugs to TDE. Worms from an aldrin-treated site contained both dieldrin and aldrin, the proportions of each changing with time. The aldrin was probably from the soil within their guts. It was concluded that higher residues were picked up by invertebrates which fed at the soil surface after a foliage application of pesticide than by subterranean species after a soil application followed by rotovation. Acute poisoning of birds could result from the consumption of insects exposed to DDT spraying.

Possibilities of Secondary Poisoning of Birds and Mammals

Possibilities of Secondary Poisoning of Birds and Mammals