Polybrominated diphenyl ether congener patterns, hexabromocyclododecane, and brominated biphenyl 153 in eggs of peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) breeding in Sweden

Previous analyses of 52 peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs collected from two wild and one captive population in Sweden 1987 through 1999 were complemented by including additional polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners (BDE-35, -183, -184, -185, -196, -197, -203, and -207). In addition, 31 eggs not previously analyzed for hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and BDE-209 were analyzed for these. Geometric mean concentrations of BPBDEs, HBCD, and the hexabrominated biphenyl (BB-153) were 3,100, 140, and 81 ng/g of lipid weight for the southern population; 2,500, 110, and 84 ng/g of lipid weight for the northern population; and 47, not detected, and 8 ng/g of lipid weight for the captive population. The BDE congener pattern was dominated by BDE-153, -99, and -100. The results were used to investigate whether a difference in PBDE congener pattern could be distinguished between the two wild populations of peregrine falcons due to different diets, as the southern population preys mainly on birds belonging to the terrestrial food chain while the northern population preys more on aquatic birds. A multivariate t-test showed a subtle but significant (p < 0.001) difference in PBDE congener pattern between the two populations. However, our hypothesis that higher-brominated congeners of PBDEs would be present to a greater extent in the terrestrial food chain was not supported by principal component analysis. The average brood size for individual females from the southern population decreased with increasing concentrations of IPBDE in the eggs (log-linear regression p < 0.01).

[1]  K. Fernie,et al.  Exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs): changes in thyroid, vitamin A, glutathione homeostasis, and oxidative stress in American kestrels (Falco sparverius). , 2005, Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology.

[2]  I. Newton.  Population Ecology of Raptors , 1981 .

[3]  Jacob de Boer,et al.  Levels and trends of brominated flame retardants in the European environment. , 2006, Chemosphere.

[4]  A. Covaci,et al.  Levels and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in various tissues of birds of prey. , 2006, Environmental pollution.

[5]  Adrian Covaci,et al.  Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in the environment and humans: a review. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[6]  R. Howell.  Manual of methods in aquatic environment research. Part 9. Analyses of metals and organochlorines in fish , 1984 .

[7]  T. Odsjö,et al.  Residue levels of polychlorobiphenyls, ΣDDT, and mercury in bird species commonly preyed upon by the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus Tunst.) in Sweden , 1985, Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[8]  D. Bird,et al.  Changes in the Growth, but Not the Survival, of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) Exposed to Environmentally Relevant Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers , 2006, Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part A.

[9]  M. Thomsen,et al.  Temporal development of brominated flame retardants in peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs from South Greenland (1986-2003). , 2005, Environmental science & technology.

[10]  C. A. Wit.  An overview of brominated flame retardants in the environment. , 2002 .

[11]  M. Eens,et al.  Brominated flame retardants and organochlorine pollutants in aquatic and terrestrial predatory birds of Belgium: levels, patterns, tissue distribution and condition factors. , 2006, Environmental pollution.

[12]  H. Neels,et al.  Biomagnification of PBDEs in three small terrestrial food chains. , 2007, Environmental science & technology.

[13]  Tom J. Cade,et al.  Peregrine falcon populations: their management and recovery , 1988 .

[14]  R. Macdonald,et al.  Persistent organic pollutants in British Columbia grizzly bears: consequence of divergent diets. , 2005, Environmental science & technology.

[15]  M. Eens,et al.  Accumulation of organochlorines and brominated flame retardants in the eggs and nestlings of great tits, Parus major. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[16]  E. Jakobsson,et al.  Impaired behaviour, learning and memory, in adult mice neonatally exposed to hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD). , 2006, Environmental toxicology and pharmacology.

[17]  M. Tysklind,et al.  Effect of sewage-sludge application on concentrations of higher-brominated diphenyl ethers in soils and earthworms. , 2005, Environmental science & technology.

[18]  D. A. Ratcliffe,et al.  Decrease in Eggshell Weight in Certain Birds of Prey , 1967, Nature.

[19]  A. Kierkegaard.  PBDEs in the Environment : Time trends, bioaccumulation and the identification of their successor, decabromodiphenyl ethane , 2007 .

[20]  D. Bird,et al.  Bioaccumulation and biotransformation of 61 polychlorinated biphenyl and four polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners in juvenile American kestrels (Falco sparverius) , 2007, Environmental toxicology and chemistry.

[21]  C. D. de Wit,et al.  Enantiomer-specific accumulation of hexabromocyclododecanes in eggs of predatory birds. , 2008, Chemosphere.

[22]  D. Herzke,et al.  Brominated flame retardants and other organobromines in Norwegian predatory bird eggs. , 2005, Chemosphere.

[23]  Anders Fredriksson,et al.  Neonatal exposure to higher brominated diphenyl ethers, hepta-, octa-, or nonabromodiphenyl ether, impairs spontaneous behavior and learning and memory functions of adult mice. , 2006, Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology.

[24]  M. Eens,et al.  Accumulation, tissue-specific distribution and debromination of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209) in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). , 2007, Environmental pollution.

[25]  M. Eens,et al.  Brominated flame retardants and organochlorine pollutants in eggs of little owls (Athene noctua) from Belgium. , 2005, Environmental pollution.

[26]  A. Covaci,et al.  Remarkable findings concerning PBDEs in the terrestrial top-predator red fox (Vulpes vulpes). , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[27]  N. Kajiwara,et al.  Geographical distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorines in small cetaceans from Asian waters. , 2006, Chemosphere.

[28]  H. Viberg.  Neonatal Developmental Neurotoxicity of Brominated Flame Retardants, the Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) , 2004 .

[29]  C. D. de Wit,et al.  Higher brominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane found in eggs of peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) breeding in Sweden. , 2004, Environmental science & technology.

[30]  H. Viberg,et al.  Changes in spontaneous behaviour and altered response to nicotine in the adult rat, after neonatal exposure to the brominated flame retardant, decabrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE 209). , 2007, Neurotoxicology.

[31]  R. Hale,et al.  Detailed polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congener composition of the widely used penta-, octa-, and deca-PBDE technical flame-retardant mixtures. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[32]  Xiaojun Luo,et al.  Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in birds of prey from Northern China. , 2007, Environmental science & technology.

[33]  K. Fernie,et al.  Evidence of immunomodulation in nestling American kestrels (Falco sparverius) exposed to environmentally relevant PBDEs. , 2005, Environmental pollution.

[34]  G. O. Thomas,et al.  Fate of higher brominated PBDEs in lactating cows. , 2007, Environmental science & technology.