ABSTRACT
Lead mining in the Sierra Madrona mountains and the valley of Alcudia in Southern Spain began in the 1st millennium B.C., and the area was intermittently exploited up until the end of the 20th century. The degree of contamination by Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, As and Se of soil, water and sediment, and the transfer to 13 species of plants, and then to red deer (Cervus elaphus) have been studied. Mined areas had higher concentrations in stream sediments than control areas. The highest concentrations were observed for Pb (1481 microg g(-1) d.w.) and As (1880 microg g(-1)) in the sediment of a stream flowing beside the spoil dump at Mina de Horcajo. Plants from mining sites contained consistently higher levels of Pb and As, and their concentrations in plants were correlated. The highest concentrations of Pb were in Gramineae (Pb: 97.5, As: 2.4 microg g(-1) d.w.), and the lowest in elmleaf blackberry (Rubus ulmifolius). The highest mean liver concentrations were found in red deer from the mining sites for Pb (0.805 microg g(-1) d. w.), Cd (0.554 microg g(-1)), Se (0.327 microg g(-1)), and As (0.061 microg g(-1)), although these were well below the levels associated with clinical poisoning.
Subject(s)
Deer/metabolism , Environmental Monitoring , Metals/analysis , Mining , Plants/metabolism , Soil Pollutants/analysis , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Animals , Geologic Sediments/analysis , Geologic Sediments/chemistry , Metals/metabolism , Metals/toxicity , Plants/classification , Risk Assessment , Soil/analysis , Soil Pollutants/metabolism , Soil Pollutants/toxicity , Spain , Species Specificity , Water Pollutants, Chemical/metabolism , Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicityABSTRACT
La existencia en el mercado de plaguicidas anticolinesterásicos (organofosforados y carbamatos) en formulados de elevada toxicidad conlleva un riesgo importante de intoxicación en animales silvestres, y entre ellos las especies cinegéticas y sus depredadores. En este trabajo revisamos las diferentes circunstancias en que se pueden dar intoxicaciones en fauna silvestre por el uso legal e ilegal de plaguicidas anticolinesterásicos a través de casos confirmados analíticamente en dos laboratorios de Toxicología Veterinaria en España. La intoxicación en especies como el conejo (Oryctolagus cuniculus) y la perdiz roja (Alectoris rufa), con claro interés cinegético, puede ser debida al uso ilegal de plaguicidas por parte de agricultores con el fin de reducir daños en sus cosechas. Por otra parte, el uso legal en agricultura de formulados como los microgranulados también puede conducir a la intoxicación de numerosas especies de aves terrestres. Estas presas intoxicadas por ambos motivos constituyen un riesgo de intoxicación secundaria de depredadores como aves rapaces. No obstante, por el momento la principal causa de intoxicación en especies depredadoras ha sido el uso ilegal de cebos envenenados con compuestos anticolinesterásicos con el fin de proteger la caza menor o el ganado
The existence in the market of anticholinesterase pesticides in commercial formulates of high toxicity implies an important risk of poisoning for wildlife, such as game species and their predators. In this study we review the different circumstances in which wildlife intoxication occurs by the legal and illegal use of anticholinesterase pesticides, through some cases analyzed in two Spanish Laboratories of Veterinary Toxicology. Poisoning of game like rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa), can be due to the illegal use of pesticides by farmers to reduce damages in their crops. Moreover, the legal use of microgranulates in agriculture can lead to the intoxication of a large number of terrestrial bird species. The poisoned preys by these two reasons constitute a risk of secondary poisoning to predators like birds of prey. Nevertheless, for the present time the main cause of poisoning of predators has been the use of baits with anticholinesterase pesticides, illegally used to protect small game species or livestock
