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Heavy Metals in Tissues of Small Mammals Inhabiting Waste-Water-Irrigated Habitats¹

ABSTRACT

Concentrations of heavy metals in liver and kidney of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and white-footed mice (Permyscus leucopus) from waste-water-irrigated and control areas were analyzed. Heavy metals were not accumulating in meadow voles inhabiting a reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) field irrigated with sewage effluent. In contrast, Pb and Cd concentrations were significantly higher in tissues of white-footed mice inhabiting an irrigated forested site as compared with a control forested site. However, concentrations of Pb and Cd were not high enough to be considered toxic. Cadmium/zinc ratios for kidneys of small mammals were higher than those for soils and vegetation on irrigated areas, demonstrating the potentially hazardous uptake of Cd. Heavy metals were not accumulating to hazardous levels in herbivorous small mammals inhabiting areas irrigated with sewage effluent at application rates ranging from 5.0 to 7.5 cm/week for 14 years.

Key Words: waste-water renovation; Peromyscus, Microtus

¹ Contribution of the School of Forest Resources and Institute for Research on Land and Water Resources, The Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA 16802. Authorized as Paper no. 6123 in the J. Ser. Pennsylvania Agric. Exp. Stn.

² Wildlife Biologist, Oregon Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Dep. of Fish & Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR 97331; and Research Technologist, Inst. for Res. on Land and Water Resource.; respectively.

Received for publication March 28, 1981.