**An Innovative Approach to Biological Monitoring Using Wildlife**

Mariko Mochizuki1, Chihiro Kaitsuka1, Makoto Mori2, Ryo Hondo1 and Fukiko Ueda1 *1Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Tokyo, 2Shizuoka University, Shizuoka, Japan* 

#### **1. Introduction**

156 Environmental Monitoring

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Biological monitoring using wildlife is a useful and important method that helps us to understand the degree of contamination in the environment. The book "Our Stolen Future" (Colborn et al., 1996) has become an influential bestseller worldwide; the authors of this book have pointed out issues relevant to the monitoring of the state of environmental pollution using wildlife. However, there are also many criticisms of the content of this book. For example, the designation of the control areas as non–contaminated is very difficult in the studies that use wildlife (Krimsky, 2000). In studies that use wildlife, there is a lack of epidemiological information on age, sex, movement range and detailed feeding habits. For example, the content of cadmium (Cd) in animals increases with age (Sakurai, 1997), even when the animals live in non-polluted areas. This is because Cd has a long biological halflife in animals (Friberg et al., 1974). Thus, knowledge of the age of targeted animals is necessary for accurate monitoring. However, obtaining an estimate of age in wildlife is very difficult. Carnivorous animals have been used frequently for biological monitoring (Harding et al., 1998; Helander, et al., 2009; Kenntner, et al., 2007; Meador et al., 1999) because it is well known that various contaminants are bioaccumulated in carnivorous animals as they move up the food chain. However, detailed information on feeding habits is sometimes difficult to obtain. According to bird guides, the greater scaup (*Aythya marila*) is classified as a carnivorous bird. However, its rate of intake of animal food changes between 45 and 97 % depending on the environment (Kaneda, 1996). In such a case, is it correct to categorize the scaup among carnivorous birds?

Despite the lack of epidemiological information, we have been investigating the degree of contamination of wild birds with inorganic elements such as Cd (Mochizuki et al., 2002a, 2011d; Ueda et al., 1998), chromium (Cr) (Mochizuki et al., 2002c), molybdenum (Mo) (Mochizuki et al., 2002c), thallium (Tl) (Mochizuki et al., 2005) and vanadium (V) (Mochizuki et al., 1998, 1999). However, there is also problem in the use of statistical procedures in studies that use wildlife because the distribution of the data is very wide. Normally distributed data are sometimes not obtained from samples of wildlife (Mochizuki et al., 2010b; Ueda et al., 2009a). The effects of toxic elements have also been investigated under experimental conditions using cultured bacteria (Kadoi et al., 2009), cells (Mochizuki et al., 2011b), and various experimental animals (Mochizuki et al., 2000). However, biological monitoring is important for the assessment of risk to human health.

An Innovative Approach to Biological Monitoring Using Wildlife 159

procedure for calculation of the indexes (Ueda et al., 2009a), and the data from humans and

Fig. 1. Comparison of the data from laboratory animals. Original figure from Mochizuki et

A new development in the research area of biological monitoring has been introduced in this section. In the next section we describe the pilot study for establishment of a similar

Fig. 2. Comparison of human data. Original figure from Ueda et al. (2009a). Dot-line; equal probability ellipse by 101 data points, solid line; equal probability ellipse by 94 data points.

al. (2008) as modified by Ueda et al. (2009a).

index using multiple elements.

rushes monkeys (Mochizuki et al., 2008) have been described in our previous reports.

Recently, we developed a solvent for use in biological monitoring using wildlife. This method was established using the significant regression lines obtained from the Cd content of kidney and that of liver (Mochizuki et al., 2008). Given that the data from animals were cited in various studies in which no particular contamination was described, we considered that these lines were indicative of normal metabolism in animals. This theory was supported by some evidence obtained from polluted animals, including humans (Mochizuki et al., 2008; Ueda et al., 2009a). Thus, the degree of contamination of humans (Mochizuki et al., 2008; Ueda et al., 2009a), experimental animals (Mochizuki et al., 2008; Ueda et al., 2009b), domestic animals (Ueda et al., 2011) and wild birds (Mochizuki et al., 2011a,c,d; Ueda et al., 2009a) has been analyzed using those indexes. Further, we developed a similar index for lead(Pb); the basis of this study was presented at an International Conference (Mochizuki et al., 2009), and the modified index has also been submitted to a journal for publication.

However, contamination with multiple elements is also an important problem in environmental science. Recently, we investigated the concentration of various elements in the urine of cats (Mochizuki et al., 2010c). In that study, a significant correlation was obtained among multiple elements in urine obtained from healthy cats, although a similar correlation was not observed in urine obtained from cats with urinary tract disease. A loss of balance and equilibrium among multiple elements had occurred in the urine of the diseased cats. This result suggested that similar indexes involving Cd and Pb can be obtained using measurement of multiple elements.

The new technique for biological monitoring is introduced in the first part of this chapter. Subsequently, we will attempt to establish an index to increase our understanding of the degree of contamination with multiple elements using multivariate analysis.
