Trace elements, organochlorines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, and furans in lesser scaup wintering on the Indiana Harbor Canal

During the winter of 1993-94, male lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) were colle cted on the heavily polluted Indiana Harbor Canal (IHC), East Chicago, IN, USA, and examined for tissue contaminant levels. Lesser scaup collected on the IHC had higher concentrations of cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), selenium ( Se), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), selected organchlorine pesticides, p olychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, polycyclic ar omatic hydrocarbons, and aliphatic hydrocarbons than reference birds. Of th e scaup collected on the IHC, 44% had Cd concentrations in the liver consid ered above background for freshwater waterfowl (> 3 mu g/g dry wt.), 50% ha d Se concentrations in the liver above a level possibly harmful to the heal th of young and adult birds (> 33 mu g/g dry wt.), and 88% of the scaup car casses exceeded the PCB human consumption guidelines for edible poultry in the USA (> 3.0 mu g/g lipid wt.). The ratio of pristane:n-heptadecane conce ntrations in 47% of lesser scaup collected on IHC was elevated above 1.0, w hich is indicative of chronic exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.