Metals in liver and kidney tissues of autumn-migrating dunlin Calidris alpina and curlew sandpiper Calidris ferruginea staging at the Baltic Sea

Abstract

Concentrations of 10 metals (Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, V and Zn) were determined in liver and kidney tissues of dunlin Calidris alpina (n = 70) and curlew sandpiper Calidris ferruginea (n = 28). Element associations are reported. Significant linear correlations were found between renal and hepatic concentrations of cadmium, copper, magnesium, and manganese. Copper showed an age-related concentration decrease, whereas cadmium concentration increased with age. Mean biological half-life of renal cadmium in dunlin is estimated at about 1 yr (with an implied maximum of 2.5 yr). The potential of cadmium as a future environmental hazard to aquatic birds is discussed.