Body distribution of trace elements in black-tailed gulls from Rishiri Island, Japan: age-dependent accumulation and transfer to feathers and eggs.

Body distribution and maternal transfer of 18 trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ba, Hg, Tl, and Pb) to eggs were examined in black-tailed gulls (Larus crassirostris), which were culled in Rishiri Island, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Manganese, Cu, Rb, Mo, and Cd showed the highest levels in liver and kidney, Ag, Sb, and Hg in feather, and V, Sr, and Pb in bone. Maternal transfer rates of trace elements ranged from 0.8% (Cd) to as much as 65% (Tl) of maternal body burden. Large amounts of Sr, Ba, and Tl were transferred to the eggs, though maternal transfer rates of V, Cd, Hg, and Pb were substantially low. It also was observed that Rb, Sr, Cd, Cs, and Ba hardly were excreted into feathers. Concentrations of Co in liver, Ba in liver and kidney, and Mo in liver increased significantly with age, whereas Se in bone and kidney, Hg in kidney, and Cr in feather decreased with age in the known-aged black-tailed gulls (2-20 years old). It also was suggested that feathers might be useful to estimate contamination status of trace elements in birds, especially for Hg on a population basis, although the utility is limited on an individual basis for the black-tailed gulls. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the maternal transfer rate of multielements and also on the usefulness of feathers to estimate contamination status of Hg in birds on a population basis.

Concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in beached resin pellets: variability among individual particles and regional differences.

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in beached resin pellets were examined to reveal variability between individual particles and differences among beaches. Fifty-five resin pellets from a beach in Tokyo were individually analyzed for PCBs, and showed concentrations ranging from <28 to 2,300 ng/g. This indicates that concentrations are highly variable between particles. Among several characters, discoloration (e.g., yellowing) had a positive relationship with PCB concentration: discolored pellets contained more PCBs than others on most of the beaches sampled. Given the color-selective ingestion of food by some organisms, this may be ecotoxicologically important. Measurements of samples from 47 beaches in Japan showed regional differences in PCB concentrations in resin pellets consistent with those in mussels. Sporadic high concentrations of PCBs were also found in pellets from remote islands, suggesting that resin pellets could be the dominant route of exposure to the contaminants at remote sites. The similarity of PCB concentrations between resin pellets and mussels suggests a potential use of resin pellets to monitor pollution in seawater.