Abstract
The effect of exposing White Leghorn hens for six weeks to 50 ppm of Aroclor 1254 in water was investigated. While egg production decreased temporarily, no significant effects were noted on egg weights or fertility. Incubation of eggs from exposed hens indicated that this polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) did not interfere with gametogenesis and fertilization. As Aroclor 1254 accumulated in the yolk, however, embryonic development was arrested at progressively earlier developmental stages. When PCB was removed from the water there was an initial rapid decline in the PCB content of the yolk and a slow return of the normal developmental pattern of the embryo. Leg, toe, and neck deformities were present in many of the chicks hatched from eggs in which yolk PCB level was 10–15 ppm or more. The gross appearance of the liver and the presence of hemorrhages suggest that the liver and the vascular elements may be targets for PCB action.
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Tumasonis, C.F., Bush, B. & Baker, F.D. PCB levels in egg yolks associated with embryonic mortality and deformity of hatched chicks. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 1, 312–324 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01985433
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01985433