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Lead toxicosis in tundra swans near a mining and smelting complex in northern 
Idaho.


Abstract: Die-offs of waterfowl have occurred in the Coeur d'Alene River system 
in northern Idaho since at least the early 1900's. We investigated causes of 
mortality and lead and cadmium contamination of 46 tundra swans (Cygnus 
columbianus) from 1987 to 1989; an additional 22 swans found dead in 1990 were 
not examined. We necropsied 43 of the 46 birds found from 1987 to 1989; 38 of 
these were from the Coeur d'Alene River system, which has been contaminated with 
mining and smelting wastes for a century, and the other 5 were from a nearby, 
relatively uncontaminated area. Of the 36 livers of swans from the contaminated 
area that were analyzed, 32 contained lethal levels of lead (6 to 40 
micrograms/g, wet weight) and all birds exhibited several symptoms of lead 
poisoning, notably enlarged gall bladders containing viscous, dark-green bile. 
Only 13% of the lead-poisoned birds (10% when data were included from other 
studies of swans in the area) contained shot, compared to 95% of lead-poisoning 
swans in studies outside northern Idaho. Lead concentrations in blood samples 
from 16 apparently healthy swans (0.5 to 2.3 micrograms/g, and 4 lead-poisoned 
birds found moribund (1.3 to 9.6 micrograms/g) indicating that tundra swans 
accumulated high levels of lead from ingestion of sediment that contained up to 
8,700 micrograms/g of lead and plants that contained up to 400 micrograms/g. The 
swans spend only a few weeks in the area staging during the spring migration. 
The five tundra swans from the uncontaminated area had low levels of lead and 
essentially no symptoms of lead poisoning.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Author: 
Blus LJ 
    Henny CJ 
    Hoffman DJ 
    Grove RA 
    Address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 
Corvallis, Oregon 97333.

Abbreviated Journal Title: Arch Environ Contam Toxicol
Date Of Publication: 1991 Nov
Journal Volume: 21
Page Numbers: 549 through 555 
Country of Publication: UNITED STATES
Language of Article: Eng
Issue/Part/Supplement: 4
ISSN: 0090-4341

MESH Headings: 
Animal 
    Bird Diseases (Central Concept) 
    Birds 
    Cadmium 
    Female 
    Idaho 
    Industrial Waste (Central Concept) 
    Lead 
    Lead Poisoning (Central Concept) 
    Male 
    Mining 
    Water Pollutants, Chemical (Central Concept) 
    
Chemical Abstract Service Registry Number: 
0 (Industrial Waste) 
    0 (Water Pollutants, Chemical) 
    7439-92-1 (Lead) 
    7440-43-9 (Cadmium) 
    Article ID: 92102223