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Contaminant Exposure of Barn Swallows Nesting on Bayou D'Inde, Calcasieu Estuary, Louisiana, USA

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Abstract

Current and historical point source discharges, storm water runoff, and accidental spills have contaminated the water, sediment, and biota within the Calcasieu Estuary in southwestern Louisiana. In 2003, barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) eggs and nestlings were collected beneath two bridges that cross Bayou d′Inde, the most contaminated waterway within the Calcasieu Estuary. Samples were also collected from a bridge over Bayou Teche, a reference site in south central Louisiana. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in barn swallow eggs and nestlings were significantly higher at the downstream site on Bayou d′Inde (2.8 μ g/g PCBs in eggs and 1.5 μ g/g PCBs in nestlings) than at the other two sites (< 0.2 μ g/g PCBs in eggs and nestlings at both sites). Ethoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase activity in nestling livers was significantly higher at the downstream site on Bayou d′Inde (50 pmol/min/mg) compared to the other two locations (24 pmol/min/mg, each), probably because of exposure to PCBs. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran concentrations in eggs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in nestlings were at background concentrations at all sites. Trace element concentrations in barn swallow eggs and nestling livers were at background levels and did not differ among the three sites. A biomarker of DNA damage did not differ among sites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA

    Thomas W. Custer & Christine M. Custer

  2. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 646 Cajundome Blvd. Suite 400, Lafayette, LA, 70506, USA

    Buddy L. Goatcher

  3. U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA

    Mark J. Melancon

  4. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2258, USA

    Cole W. Matson & John W. Bickham

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  1. Thomas W. Custer
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  2. Christine M. Custer
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  3. Buddy L. Goatcher
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  4. Mark J. Melancon
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Correspondence to Thomas W. Custer.

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Custer, T.W., Custer, C.M., Goatcher, B.L. et al. Contaminant Exposure of Barn Swallows Nesting on Bayou D'Inde, Calcasieu Estuary, Louisiana, USA. Environ Monit Assess 121, 543–560 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-005-9153-x

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