Environmental contaminants in four eider species from Alaska and arctic Russia

Population declines in four species of eider; common (Somateria mollissima), king (Somateria spectabilis), spectacled Somateria fischeri) and Steller's (Polysticta stelleri), have raised concerns about exposure to contaminants. Livers and kidney tissues were collected from ciders in Alaska and Russia for organic and elemental analyses. Results showed that organochlorine and many elemental levels were below toxic thresholds; however, in many cases, cadmium, copper, lead and selenium appeared high relative to other waterfowl and may warrant concern. With the exception of lead, local anthropogenic sources for these elements are not known. Although adverse physiological responses have not been documented in ciders, these four elements cannot be ruled out as contaminants of potential concern for some eider species, Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.