Organochlorine pesticide, PCB, and PBB residues and necropsy data for bald eagles from 29 states--1975-77

During 1975-77, 168 bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) found moribund or dead in 29 states were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); 32 specimens from 13 states were analyzed for polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs). PCBs were present in 166 bald eagle carcasses and DDE was found in 165. TDE and dieldrin were identified in 137 samples, trans-nonachlor in 118, and oxychlordane in 90. Brains of five eagles contained possible lethal levels of dieldrin, and two eagles possibly died of endrin poisoning. Nine eagle livers, analyzed because of suspected lead poisoning, contained high levels of lead. Twenty percent of the eagles died from shooting, the most common cause of death; this cause of death, however, has declined.     

Organochlorine residues and mortality of herons

Since 1966, 72 herons found dead or moribund in the field have been analyzed for organochlorine chemicals. In addition, 36 herons were obtained through systematic collections, and carcasses were analyzed to determine sublethal exposure to organochlorines. Brains of birds found dead or moribund were analyzed to determine whether the birds had died of organochlorine poisoning. Residues of DDE were found most frequently (96 of 105 carcasses analyzed), PCBs were second (detected in 90 carcasses), and dieldrin and TDE (detected in 37 and 35 carcasses, respectively) were about equal as third and fourth most frequent. Endrin, mirex, toxaphene, and HCB were found least often (8, 9, 9, and 9 carcasses, respectively). At least one organochlorine was found in each carcass, except for six heron chicks found dead in a Maryland heronry. DDE and PCBs were present in highest concentrations; they exceeded 100 ppm in two birds each. Organochlorine concentrations were almost always higher in adult herons than in immature birds. All birds that had hazardous or lethal concentrations in the brain were adults, and most were great blue herons (Ardea herodias). Dieldrin was the chemical most often considered responsible for death. Herons died of suspected DDT and dieldrin poisoning years after the chemicals were banned in the United States. More than 20 percent of the herons found dead or moribund had lethal or hazardous concentrations of organochlorines in the brain.     

Organochlorine insecticide residues in bovine milk and manufactured milk products in Illinois, 1971-76.

Monitoring activities were initiated in 1971 to survey the occurence and levels of organochlorine insecticide residues in bovine milk and manufactured milk products in Illinois. Dieldrin residues were the most prevalent, and were found in 96 percent of the samples. Dieldrin also accounted for the highest average residue concentration (0.09 ppm). Only 0.3% of the samples contained illegal insecticide residues. Levels of DDT and lindane were generally declining, but those for dieldrin and heptachlor epoxide tended to remain constant.     

Nationwide residues of organochlorines in wings of adult mallards and black ducks, 1972-73.

Organochlorine residues in wings of adult mallards and black ducks were monitored during the 1972-73 hunting season. DDE, DDT, DDD, dieldrin, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) were present in all samples. Mallard wings from Alabama contained the highest mean levels of DDE, DDT, DDD, dieldrin, and PCB's. Mallards and black ducks from the Atlantic Flyway and mallards from the Pacific Flyway contained significantly lower DDE residues than in 1969-70. Black ducks from the Atlantic Flyway contained significantly less dieldrin than in 1969-70, and mallards in the Central and Pacific Flyways contained significantly lower levels of PCB's. As in 1969-70, DDE residues were lowest in the Central Flyway and highest in the Atlantic Flyway. The average PCB level remained unchanged in the Atlantic Flyway but was higher in the Mississippi Flyway than in 1969-70, probably because of the unusually high levels in Alabama samples. All organochlorine residues in black ducks from the Atlantic Flyway significantly correlated. DDE concentrations in mallards from the Atlantic Flyway significantly correlated with those of DDT, DDD, and PCB's.     

The concentrations of aldrin and dieldrin and their photoisomers in the atmosphere

Air samples taken in 1973 at a point remote from areas of organochlorine pesticide usage, Bantry Bay in S.W. Ireland, were analysed for aldrin and dieldrin in the vapour state and in association with particupate matter. In addition, some of the samples were analysed for the photoisomers of aldrin and dieldrin, and for pp'-DDT, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-di-(4-chlorophenyl) ethylene (pp'-DDE) and pp'-IDE. Detection and quantitation of all compounds were by gas-liquid chromatography with electron capture detection (g.l.c./e.c.). Confirmatory evidence for the presence of dieldrin and pp'-DDE was obtained with some samplesusing gas-liquid chromatography with mass fragmento-graphic detection (g.l.c./m.f.). Dieldrin was detected in all seventeen samples of air taken, but the mean concentration was 0.36 ng/kg and the range of concentrations was 0.06–1.60 ng/kg. Aldrin was not detected in the samples examined, neither were the two photoisomers. Only pp'-DDE of the pp'-DDT group of compounds was detected in the nine samples examined, and the apparent mean concentration was 0.14 ng/kg. None of the compounds was detected in particulate matter.     

Organochlorine pesticide residues in soils from six U.S. Air Force bases, 1975--76.

Soil samples collected during 1975 and 1976 from United States Air Force installations in California, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah were analyzed for organochlorine pesticide residues. Sigma DDT, chlordane, and dieldrin were the pesticides most commonly found. In 1975, sigma DDT residues were significantly higher in samples from residential areas than in samples from golf courses or areas free of pesticide application. Chlordane residues in 1975 were significantly higher in both residential and golf course areas than in areas where pesticides had not been used. No significant differences were found in 1976 in residue levels of any pesticide monitored among various land use areas.     

Blood organochlorine pesticide levels in Virginia residents.

This study attempts to establish 1972 baseline levels for 31 organochlorine pesticides and industrial chemicals in postmortem human whole blood in Virginia. These pesticides and industrial chemicals have been detected previously in other parts of the food chain and environment. In the present study DDT and its metabolites, DDE and TDE, were detected most frequently and at highest levels. DDT and DDE tended to appear more frequently as people grew older although TDE levels remained constant. Dieldrin and lindane showed peak levels in the middle age group. Analyzing distribution of pesticides in blood by sex showed that females had higher levels of lindane and dieldrin and males had higher levels of DDT, DDE, and TDE. Analyzing racial distribution showed blacks with higher levels of DDT, TDE, and DDE and indicated little difference from whites for lindane and dieldrin. Higher levels were found in Richmond and Norfolk than in the Fairfax and Roanoke regions.     

Pesticide residue levels in soils and crops from 37 states, 1972--National Soils Monitoring Program (IV).

Residue data from the 1972 (FY--73) National Soils Monitoring Program are summarized. Composite samples of agricultural soil and mature crops were collected from 1,483 of the 1,533 selected 4-hectare sites in 37 states. Analyses were performed for organochlorine and organophosphorus compounds, trifluralin and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); analysis for atrazine was performed only when pesticide application data indicated current-year use. Organochlorine pesticides were detected in 45 percent of the soil samples. The most frequently detected compound was dieldrin, found in 27 percent of all soil samples. Other compounds detected, in order of frequency, included DDT, aldrin, chlordane, and heptachlor epoxide, found, respectively, in 21, 9, 8, and 7 percent of all soil samples. Crop samples were collected from 727 sites. All were analyzed for organochlorines; analyses were performed for organophosphates and atrazine only when pesticide application data indicated current-year use. For all crops, 40 percent of the samples contained detectable levels of organochlorines and 10 percent contained detectable levels of organophosphates. Atrazine was not detected.     

Organochlorine residues in fish, water, and sediment of American Falls Reservoir, Idaho, 1974.

Organochlorine residues of TDE, DDE, and PCBs as high as 1.96, 2.79, and 28.74 microgram/kg, respectively, have been found in sediments of American Falls Reservoir, Idaho. Residues of TDE, DDE, and dieldrin in the flesh of sport fish were as high as 52.3, 67.2, and 160.4 microgram/kg, respectively. Maximum organochlorine residue levels found in sucker taken in the commercial fishery were 1.1 mg PCBs/kg, 781.7 microgram TDE/kg, and 82.1 microgram DDE/kg.     

Significance of organochlorine and heavy metal residues in wintering shorebirds at Corpus Christi, Texas, 1976-77

Organochlorine and heavy metal residues were determined in 103 shorebirds of seven species collected at Corpus Christi, Texas, during the winter of 1976-77 to evaluate their potential effects on population survival, DDE and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were detected in most samples. Chlordane isomers, dieldrin, toxaphene, and heptachlor epoxide also occurred, but less frequently. In general, organochlorine residues were low in skinned carcasses. Geometric means on a wet weight basis ranged from 0.25 ppm to 4.76 ppm for DDE and from 0.67 ppm to 6.64 ppm for PCBs; residues of the other compounds averaged less than 1 ppm in all instances. Mercury, lead, arsenic and vanadium occurred in all shorebird livers, and selenium and cadmium were detected in all kidneys. Residues of these metals, except selenium, were low in most tissue samples. Selenium averages varied from 1.77 ppm to 5.62 ppm (wet weight) in kidneys; residues in this range may be sufficient to inhibit reproduction or to induce other forms of toxicity, especially at the higher levels.     

Studies on the sorption of organochlorine insecticides by flour stored on or near treated laminated timber or plywood as used in freight containers

Wood preservatives containing a number of organochlorine insecticides, including aldrin, dieldrin, chlordane and lindane, have been approved in Australia for treating timber used as structural components in cargo containers. Studies on the migration of these insecticides from treated laminated timber and plywood, using commercial containers and in the laboratory, are reported here. The highest insecticide residue levels were found in flour samples stored on newly treated laminated sawn timber. Physical pick-up of insecticide from the surface of the floor was considered to be the major source of contamination. Sorption of insecticides from the atmosphere of the container was the most likely source of contamination in samples stored on or near treated plywood.     

Residues of organochlorine insecticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in fish from Lakes Saint Clair and Erie, Canada--1968-76.

Eighteen species of fish from Lake Saint Clair and 19 species from Lake Erie were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between 1968 and 1976. Mean residues of sigma DDT peaked at 1.19 ppm in longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) caught in Lake Saint Clair in 1970-71, but had declined in all species by 1975-76. Dieldrin levels in fish tissues increased over the same period. White bass (Morone chrysops), caught in 1975 in Lake Erie, had the highest mean residue of dieldrin at 0.17 ppm. PCB residues increased in some species and decreased in others. PCB residues exceeding the tolerance level of Health and Welfare Canada were found in the following: from Lake Saint Clair, smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) in 1975 and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) in 1971; from Lake Erie, coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in 1970, smallmouth bass, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) in 1971, and white bass in 1971 and 1976.     

Residues of organochlorine insecticides in some fishes and birds in the gezira of Sudan

Twenty-eight specimens representing five types of fish and five types of birds from the Gezira Research Farm, Wad Medani, Sudan, were analysed for residues of organochlorine insecticides. All fish muscle samples were found to contain pp′-DDE, pp′-TDE and pp′-DDT in total concentrations ranging from 0.27 to 16.0 mg/kg. In addition to DDT-type residues, dieldrin (HEOD) was also found in the majority of bird samples. Concentrations in bird breast muscle ranged from 0.07 to 5.5 mg/kg. When bird liver samples were examined they were found to contain higher residues than the breast muscle in nearly all cases.     

Transfer of insecticide residues to food stored on or near plywood impregnated with organochlorine insecticides

Formulations of aldrin and dieldrin have been used for a number of years to treat exposed timber components used in the construction of freight containers. The extent to which these insecticides migrate to foodstuffs stored on or near treated plywood has been examined under laboratory conditions and is reported here. A limited survey of organochlorine insecticide residues in samples of foodstuffs, taken from commercial loads carried in freight containers, indicated that residue levels are unlikely to present a health hazard.     

Chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide residues in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) from Tasmania, Australia--1973.

Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas Thunberg) from 19 sites in Tasmania were surveyed for pesticide residues. All samples were analyzed for dieldrin and DDT, and five samples were analyzed for hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and lindane. Only DDT was found in all samples. Dieldrin levels were high in oysters from the Tamar River, but were highest (0.39 mg/kg wet weight) in samples from Ruffin's Bay. In contrast, other residue levels were low. Distribution of pesticides in Tamar River samples differed: dieldrin could be correlated with industrial uses upstream and DDT could be correlated with low-level widespread agricultural use.     

Residues of organochlorine insecticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in fish from Lakes Huron and Superior, Canada--1968-76.

Five species of fish from Lake Superior and 12 species from Lake Huron were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between 1968 and 1975. Mean residues of sigma DDT peaked at 1.72 ppm and 7.60 ppm in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from Lakes Superior and Huron, respectively. By 1975, the mean level of sigma DDT had decreased in lake trout and was highest in bloaters (Coregonus hoi) from both lakes: 1.06 ppm and 1.87 ppm, respectively. Dieldrin levels in fish from Lake Superior changed little over the same period. However, in 1969-70, dieldrin levels in fish from Lake Huron exceeded the 0.3 ppm tolerance level set by Health and Welfare Canada or the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 5 percent of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and 10 percent of bloaters. By 1975, 50 percent of bloaters caught in Georgian Bay and North Channel had dieldrin levels above 0.3 ppm. PCB residues declined in lake trout and lake whitefish caught in Lake Superior between 1971 and 1975, but increased slightly in bloaters and white sucker (Catostomus commersoni). Mean PCB residues in bloaters caught in Lake Huron in 1969-71 and 1975-76, and splake (Salvelinus fontinalis and S. namaycush) and cisco (Coregonus artedii) caught in 1975 exceeded the 2 ppm tolerance level.     

Pesticide residue concentrations in soils of five United States cities, 1971--urban soils monitoring program.

Soil samples from five metropolitan areas including Baltimore, Maryland; Gadsden, Alabama; Hartford, Connecticut; Macon, Georgia; and Newport News, Virginia were analyzed for elemental arsenic, organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). A representative number of samples were analyzed for organophosphorus pesticides, but none was detected. All areas exhibited heavy soil concentrations of organochlorine pesticides including sigma DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, photodieldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, endrin, endrin ketone, and endosulfan sulfate. PCBs were detected in three of the five metropolitan areas. Within the metropolitan areas, samples from the urban, or core city, locations generally had higher pesticide concentrations than did samples from suburban locations. Finally, pesticide residue concentrations were generally higher in soils of metropolitan areas than in nearby agricultural soils.     

Insecticide residues in the Tuttle Creek Reservoir Ecosystem, Kansas-1970-71.

Various components of the aquatic ecosystem of Tuttle Creek Reservoir on the Big Blue River in northeastern Kansas were examined for organochlorine insecticide residues in 1970-71. Components examined were water, sediments, periphyton, zooplankton, insects, and whole-body samples of 10 common fish species. Only dieldrin and sigmaDDT residues were detected. Dieldrin was found in part of the nonfish samples at levels ranging up to 0.01 ppm and in 97 percent of the fish samples with a high level of 0.17 ppm. SigmaDDT residues were also detected in part of the nonfish samples at levels ranging up to 0.42 ppm, and in 98 percent of the fish samples at levels as high as 0.57 ppm. Authors' findings are roughly similar to those of other surveys of Kansas fishes. All levels are relatively low compared with those reported in surveys from other parts of the Nation.     

Pre- and postnatal exposure to dieldrin: Persistent stimulatory and behavioral effects

Dieldrin was fed to two generations of albino rats at levels often found in the environment (0.35 μg/kg/day, orally). A two-by-two factorial design was employed to investigate the simultaneous effect of a malnutrition condition consisting of low protein and dieldrin exposure. Second generation animals were tested using comprehensive behavioral criteria (swimming ability, righting reflex, motivational test, and a series of learning tasks) in order to detect any subtle diffeences between groups. Significant differences were seen between all of the test groups in the development of swimming ability. Animals in the 10% protein plus dieldrin (10% + D) were significantly inferior to the 10% protein group. However, rats in the 20% protein plus dieldrin (20% + D) were superior to all of the other groups in overall swimming ability. Both dieldrin groups were significantly superior to their control groups in the retention test (running the animals on the same problem 48 hr later), thus suggesting a stimulatory effect of low-dose dieldrin. No implication is made to suggest that the stimulatory effect is not harmful, since the consequences of such effects have not been determined by long-term studies.     

Organochlorine residues in fish: National Pesticide Monitoring Program, 1970-74

As part of the National Pesticide Monitoring Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service analyzed organochlorine contaminant residues in fish samples collected from about 100 stations each year from 1970 to 1974. During this period, mean residues of DDT and its metabolites declined nationally but remained widespread, and high concentrations continued to be present in areas where DDT use was extensive. Results of interlaboratory crosscheck analyses supported these conclusions, despite interpretation problems posed by intercompound analytical interferences in 1970 and 1971. Temporal trends in PCB residues were less obvious. Highest PCB residues were found in the industrialized areas of the Northwest and Midwest, and traces were present at most stations. Dieldrin and endrin residues remained essentially unchanged during this period; dieldrin residues were widespread and were highest in Hawaii and in areas of the Midwest where aldrin was used extensively. Toxaphene occurrence increased; it was formerly found only in fish from streams draining cotton-farming regions, but residues were detected in 1974 samples from other areas. According to the recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences' Water Quality Criteria, organochlorine residues in freshwater fish may have represented a hazard to piscivorous fish and wildlife at 71 percent of the stations sampled in 1970 and 66 percent in 1974.