Cadmium contamination in wild birds as an indicator of environmental pollution

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant that has serious toxicity in hum ans and animals and causes Itai-Itai disease. However, there is little avai lable information on its contamination in wildlife as an indicator of envir onmental pollution. The Cd contents in the kidney and liver of 85 wild bird s from 9 different prefectures in Japan were investigated. The ranges of th e Cd contents in the kidney and liver in all birds were ND-174.4 and ND-21. 2 mug g(-1) dry wt., respectively. The mean Cd contents were higher in the oil-contaminated birds than those in the non-contaminated ones. Furthermore , a strong correlation was obtained only between the Cd contents in the kid ney and those in the liver of the oil-contaminated seabirds and not in the other non-contaminated ones. These results suggest that wild birds reflect the level of environmental contamination which should be monitored.