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Wildlife Toxicology

Study site locations: Colorado - Arkansas River

Up to 40% of tree swallow pairs along the upper Arkansas River were injured by exposure to lead from historic gold and silver mines in the area.  Injury is measured by the proportion of nestlings with ALAD inhibition > 50% of normal.  As a result, clean up actions are under way throughout the drainage.

Custer, C. M., T. W. Custer, A. S. Archuleta, L. C. Coppock, Carol D. Swartz, and J. W. Bickham. 2003. A mining impacted stream: Exposure and effects of lead and other trace elements on tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting in the upper Arkansas River basin, Colorado. Pages 787-812 in D.J. Hoffman, B.A. Rattner, G.A. Burton, Jr., and J. Cairns, Jr. (eds), Handbook of Ecotoxicology, 2nd Ed. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. (Citation)

Page Last Modified: April 3, 2018