Tissue concentrations of pesticides, PCBs and metals among ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, collected in France.

In this study, osprey (Pandion haliaetus) tissues collected in France were used for contaminants analyses by a non-invasive approach. 53 pesticides (organochlorine, organophosphate, carbamate, pyrethroids, herbicides, anticoagulant rodenticides), 13 PCBs, and 5 metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, copper and arsenic) were quantified in liver of 14 individual samples. PCBs and mercury were frequent (mean 0.5 mg/kg, range < d.l.-2.6 mg/kg and mean 3.4 mg/kg, range < d.l.-16.3 mg/kg wet weight, respectively). Inter-individual variations in contaminant diversity and amounts were noticed. Immediate conservation of the species in the country does not seem to be threatened by global contamination.