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The use of feather as an indicator for heavy metal contamination in house crow (Corvus splendens) in the Klang area, Selangor, Malaysia

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Abstract

The Klang area of Peninsular Malaysia has experienced rapid industrial growth with intense activities, which can increase the concentration of pollutants in the environment that significantly impact on habitats and the human health. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of selected heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe, and Pb) in the heart, lung, brain, liver, kidney, muscle tissues, and feathers of house crow, Corvus splendens, in Klang, Peninsular Malaysia. House crow samples were collected from the Klang area through the Department of Public Health at Majlis Perbandaran Klang. Quantitative determination of heavy metals was carried out using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The result shows the presence of heavy metals in all biological samples of house crows. For heavy metals in all the house crow tissues analyzed, Fe concentrations were the highest, followed by those of Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ni. The feathers and kidney accumulated high concentrations of Pb, whereas the liver accumulated high concentrations of essential heavy metals (Fe > Zn > Cu > Ni). Significant variations were also detected in the concentrations of Pb among adult and juvenile and male and female bird samples. The results also revealed significant positive correlations between Pb metal concentration in the breast feathers and all internal organs. Accumulation of toxic heavy metals in feathers reflected storing and elimination processes, while the accumulation of toxic heavy metals in the kidney can be consequential to chronic exposure. The present study clearly shows the usefulness of house crow breast feather as a suitable indicator for heavy metal accumulation in the internal organs of house crows in the Klang area.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Department of Public Health at Majlis Perbandaran, Klang city for assisting in the collection of house crows. Also, we express our profound gratitude to the University Putra Malaysia (UPM) for supporting and financing this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Mohammed Janaydeh, Ahmad Ismail, Syaizwan Zahmir Zulkifli, Nor Azwady Abd. Aziz & Ayat Taneenah

  2. Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Mohd Hair Bejo

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  1. Mohammed Janaydeh
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  2. Ahmad Ismail
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Correspondence to Ahmad Ismail.

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Janaydeh, M., Ismail, A., Zulkifli, S.Z. et al. The use of feather as an indicator for heavy metal contamination in house crow (Corvus splendens) in the Klang area, Selangor, Malaysia. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 22059–22071 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7223-y

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