ABSTRACT

The levels of Cd, Zn, and Cu in the kidneys and liver of 23 pigeons from Lodz and Cracow were determined by flame AAS, after wet digestion. Metallothionein (MT) was determined radiochemically using ²⁰³Hg, in the liver of 5 pigeons. The mean concentrations were: 7.2 µg Cd/g; 43.2 µg Zn/g and 5: 3 µg Cu/g w.w in the kidneys; and 1, 4 µg Cd/g; 51,5 µg Zn/g and 5,0 µg Cu/g w.w in the liver. The correlations between Cd in kidneys and liver (r=0.88), and MT (mean: 0.37 µmol Hg/g w.w) vs Zn (r = 0.99) in the liver were found. The results indicate higher environmental pollution by cadmium in Cracow (kidneys: 11.7 µg Cd/g (p< 0.06); liver: 2.1 µg Cd/g (p< 0.01) than in Lodz (4.4 and 1.0 µg Cd/g respectively), and are in accordance with preliminary human data in the inhabitants of these two regions. It can be assumed that pigeons are a sensitive biomonitor of environmental pollution by cadmium.