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Biomonitoring of heavy metals (Cd, Hg, and Pb) and metalloid (As) with the Portuguese common buzzard (Buteo buteo)

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Abstract

The accumulation of heavy metals in the environment may have a wide range of health effects on animals and humans. Thus, in this study, the concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) in the blood and tissues (liver and kidney) of Portuguese common buzzards (Buteo buteo) were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) in order to monitor environmental pollution to these elements. In general, Hg and As were the elements which appeared in the highest and lowest concentrations, respectively. A highest percentage of non-detected concentration was found for blood Cd (94.6 %) but, in turn, it was the only metal that was detected in all kidney samples. The kidney was the analyzed sample which showed the highest concentrations of each element evaluated. Statistically, significant differences among blood, liver, and kidney samples were observed for As and Cd (P < 0.05). Cd concentrations in kidney and liver varied significantly with age: Adults showed higher hepatic and renal Cd concentrations than juveniles. Blood Pb concentration seems to show an association with the hunting season. Although raptors are at the top of the food chain and are thus potentially exposed to any biomagnification processes that may occur in a food web, the individuals evaluated in this study generally had low levels of heavy metals in blood and tissues. However, chronic exposure to these metals was verified. The results presented here lend weight to arguments in favor of continuous biomonitoring of metals and metalloids, since heavy metals may accumulate to levels that will pose a risk to both human health and the environment.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the fellowship SFRH/BD/62115/2009 provided by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia. The authors wish to thank all personnel at the Serveis Científics i Tècnics of the University of Barcelona, Spain and especially all personnel from the Servei d’Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-801, Vila Real, Portugal

    Manuela Carneiro & Aura Colaço

  2. Department of Zootechnics, ECAV, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta dos Prados, 5000-801, Vila Real, Portugal

    Bruno Colaço

  3. Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta dos Prados, 5000-801, Vila Real, Portugal

    Bruno Colaço, Maria João Pires & Paula A. Oliveira

  4. Ecology, Monitoring and Recovery Center of Wild Animals (CERVAS), 6290-909, Gouveia, Portugal

    Ricardo Brandão

  5. Research and Recovery Center of Wild Animals of the Ria Formosa Natural Park (RIAS), 8700, Olhão, Portugal

    Carla Ferreira

  6. Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of the Peneda-Gerês National Park, 4704-538, Braga, Portugal

    Nuno Santos

  7. Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of the Gaia Biological Park, 4430-757, Avintes, Portugal

    Vanessa Soeiro

  8. Department of Veterinary Sciences, ECAV, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta dos Prados, 5000-801, Vila Real, Portugal

    Aura Colaço, Maria João Pires & Paula A. Oliveira

  9. Servei d’Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain

    Santiago Lavín

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  1. Manuela Carneiro
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  2. Bruno Colaço
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  3. Ricardo Brandão
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  4. Carla Ferreira
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  5. Nuno Santos
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  6. Vanessa Soeiro
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  7. Aura Colaço
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  8. Maria João Pires
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  9. Paula A. Oliveira
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  10. Santiago Lavín
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Correspondence to Paula A. Oliveira.

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Carneiro, M., Colaço, B., Brandão, R. et al. Biomonitoring of heavy metals (Cd, Hg, and Pb) and metalloid (As) with the Portuguese common buzzard (Buteo buteo). Environ Monit Assess 186, 7011–7021 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-3906-3

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