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Toxicological Responses of Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) Exposed to Aged and Amended Soils Containing Lead

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Abstract

The use of lead in military and civilian small arms projectiles is widely acknowledged to have resulted in high soil lead concentrations at many small arms ranges. These ranges are often adjacent to wildlife habitat or have become habitat when no longer used. To assess the potential toxicity of lead to terrestrial amphibians in contaminated areas, we exposed 100 red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) to either a control soil or one of four soil treatments amended with lead acetate for 28 days. Analytical mean soil concentrations were 14 (control), 553, 1700, 4700, and 9167 mg Pb/kg soil dry weight. An additional 60 salamanders were also exposed for 28 days to one of six field-collected soil samples from a small arms range and a skeet range. The field soil concentrations ranged from 11 (background) to 16,967 mg Pb/kg soil dry weight. Food consisted of uncontaminated flightless Drosophila melanogaster. Salamander survival was reduced in amended soil treatments of 4700 and 9167 mg/kg by 15% and 80%, respectively. Inappetence was observed at 4700 and 9167 mg/kg and growth decreased in the 9167 mg/kg treatment. Total white blood cells decreased 32% at 4700 mg/kg compared to controls and were 22% lower in the 9167 mg/kg treatment. In contrast, survival was 100% for all field-collected soils with no hematological effects. At 16,967 mg/kg there was evidence of soil avoidance and decreased growth. These data suggest marked differences in toxicity and bioavailability of the lead-amended soil in contrast to the field-collected soil containing lead.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the entire team on ER 0514, namely, Doris (Andy) Anders, David Barclift, Amy Hawkins, John Noles, and David Pillard. We thank Larry R. Williams for assistance with the BMD calculation. This work was funded by the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP ER 0514). The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the U.S. Army. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Toxicity Evaluation Program, Directorate of Toxicology, U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, 5158 Blackhawk Road, ATTN: MCHB-TS-TTE, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, 21010-5403, USA

    Matthew A. Bazar, Michael J. Quinn Jr. & Mark S. Johnson

  2. Biotechnics Inc., Hillsborough, NC, 27278, USA

    Kristie Mozzachio

  3. ENSR Corp., 2 Technology Park Drive, Westford, MA, 01886, USA

    John A. Bleiler & Christine R. Archer

  4. Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, 21010, USA

    Carlton T. Phillips

Authors
  1. Matthew A. Bazar
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  2. Michael J. Quinn Jr.
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  3. Kristie Mozzachio
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  4. John A. Bleiler
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  5. Christine R. Archer
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  6. Carlton T. Phillips
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  7. Mark S. Johnson
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Correspondence to Matthew A. Bazar.

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Bazar, M.A., Quinn, M.J., Mozzachio, K. et al. Toxicological Responses of Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) Exposed to Aged and Amended Soils Containing Lead. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 58, 1040–1047 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9471-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9471-z

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