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Environmental effects on wetlands of queletox® applied to ploceid roosts in Kenya
Author(s) -
Keith James O.,
Bruggers Richard L.,
Kimball Bruce A.,
Ngondi John G.,
Elliott Clive C.H.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620130218
Subject(s) - fenthion , waterfowl , predation , livestock , feather , abundance (ecology) , wetland , biology , ecology , habitat , pesticide , malathion
Queletox® (Fenthion) is widely used in Africa to kill birds that eat cereal crops. Applications of Queletox have been reported to kill nontarget animals and contaminate areas used by livestock and humans. In 1988, we evaluated Queletox treatments to wetland roosts at the Njoro dam (2.88 kg/ha) and Gicheha farm (12.0 kg/ha) near Nakuru, Kenya. Fenthion deposits measured in the roosts ranged up to 1,100 g/ha, but were >1 0 g/ha at distances of 100 m or more from roosts. Following applications, 61 birds of 14 species at the Njoro dam and 22 birds of eight species at the Gicheha farm were found dead or severely debilitated. However, the general abundance of waterfowl, wading birds, plovers, doves, and passerines seemed unaffected. Residues in crop contents of 11 dead birds ranged up to 11.0 ppm, substantiating death from fenthion. Fenthion residues (2.2‐750 μg) recovered from skin and feathers of 36 dead birds were sufficient to have been hazardous to predators and scavengers. Neither amphibians nor fishes were affected by treatments. At the Njoro dam, scarabids, dytiscids, and notonec‐tids were killed, and their numbers decreased; many insects also were killed at the Gicheha farm. The abundance of these groups, however, had increased within 6 d post‐treatment. Fenthion residues of 1.8 to 17 ppb were found in positive water samples for up to 5 d post‐treatment. All sampled vegetation had temporarily hazardous residues; levels ranged up to 83 ppm on grasses but had decreased to <1.0 after 3 d.