Organochlorine and mercury concentrations in eggs of grey plovers (Pluviulis squuturola) breeding in the Lena Delta, north-east Siberia, 1997

Abstract

Seven eggs from four clutches of grey plovers (Pluvialis squatarola) breeding in the Lena Delta, Sakha Republic, Yakutia, in 1997 were analysed for persistent organochlorines and mercury. Contamination levels were low and within the same range as found in eggs from waders (Charadriiformes) breeding in north-west Europe. One exception was ?HCH, averaging 99.2 ng g?1 fresh egg mass, a level about ten times higher than in wader eggs from north-west Europe. ?-HCH accounted for 98% of the total HCH concentration. There are indications that the pesticide levels may reflect former local use. ?PCB level (57.0 ng g?1, 62 congeners) and mercury concentration (68.7 ng g?1) can be considered low.