12. Heavy metals accumulation trends in scavenger birds from different landfill and dumping sites of Punjab
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Abstract
Landfills and dumping areas host huge assemblages of scavenger birds (crows, mynahs, housesparrows etc.). Feeding on landfills and dumping sites can cause several problems and toxic effects on wildlife due to heavy metals (HM) exposure with environmental concerns. This study was designed to explore the preferential accumulation of Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb), and Cadmium (Cd) in blood and feather of scavenger bird samples that existed in the area of Lakhodair landfill, Mehmood Booti Waste dumping site of Lahore, and Muhammad Wala Waste dumping site Faisalabad. The metals deposition was examined by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The results showed the Pb concentration was significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) and the Cd concentration was the lowest in birds of waste dumping sites. The concentration of the metals in the blood and feather varies in different species of birds trend as Pb>Cr>Ni>Cd. Findings of present study suggest that environmental pollution of heavy metals is increasingly becoming a problem due to adverse effects to scavenging birds.
Keywords: Bioaccumulation; Dumping sites; Heavy metals; Landfill; Scavenger birds