Gwynne Lyons Toxics Science and Policy Advisor WWF UK

1. Gwynne LyonsToxics Science and Policy Advisor WWF UK Congenital Defects The wildlife/human connection AREHNA seminar - Kos, June 2005

2. Overview of Talk • Two examples of wildlife warnings. • Congenital defects in 4 classes of vertebrate animals: fish; amphibians; reptiles; mammals. • Wildlife warnings for the future

3. Example 1 Abortion in Sea Lions • 20 % Sea Lions had aborted pups on an island off California • DDE responsible for 15%? Of premature baby deaths in USA(Longnecker et al. 2001) • Higher DDT in Chinese workers who suffer abortion(Korrick et al. 2001)

4. DDT in lab animals • DDT has an anti-androgenic action in rodents. AGD > hypospadias > undescended testes(Kelce et al. 1995; Earl Gray et al. 2001) • Highlights fetal tissue concs of 10-20 ppm DDE = similar to humans in late 1960s • Shows DDT / DDE cause cryptorchidism and CIS in rabbits

5. South Africa - babies • DDT used in homes for malarial control • Prof Bornman et al(unpublished –work in progress) • DDT linked to testicular abnormalities in baby boys

6. Example 2Thyroid effects in Great Lakes wildlife • In Great Lakes all adult male salmon showed thyroid disruption. Enlarged thyroids – goitre - some ruptured. Effects on thyroid still evident • 2001-2004 gulls still have goitre – produce less thyroid hormones. • Turtles in Great Lakes reduced thyroid function.

7. Babies in 1990 Dutch cohort – thyroid hormone levels correlate with pollutants The higher dioxin, furan and PCB in milk, the lower maternal total T3 and T4 . Infants have higher plasma-levels of TSH Alligators in polluted Florida lakes – reduced thyroxine levels. Florida panther thyroid dysfunction Polar bears – thyroid hormone levels altered - PCBs Other species showing altered thyroid function

8. Thyroid effects in humans • Goitre in Michigan residents • PCBs - developmental neurotoxicity = thyroid disruption? • In Japan – tripling of the incidence of cretinism 1981-9995 defective thyroid function in foetal life cause dioxin? – other chemicals linked to ED of T

9. Congenital defects in Vertebrate wildlife - fish • Intersex fish – up to 100% of roach in some UK freshwater rivers. VTG.Now found elsewhere in EU. • Intersex found in UK marine fish – such as flounder – but less severe.Now found in Seine, Baltic flounder, and severe in swordfish from the Mediterranean • MIPs morphologically intermediate papilla syndrome – Sand Gobies.

10. Congenital defects in Vertebrates: Amphibians • Gonadal dysgenesis and hermaphrodite leopard frogs - atrazine sites USA (Hayes et al. 2003) • Intersex in cricket frogs – pop decline - peaked in OC time? (Reeder 2005) • Cane Toads – 30% hermaphrodite – atrazine on sugar cane in Florida(Gross) • Limb deformities

11. Congenital defects in Reptiles • Smaller phallus in alligators. • Abnormalities of the testes in alligators • Smaller precloacal length (= penis) in snapping turtles - Detroit river • Abnormal testes – ovo-testes in red belly turtle in Florida

12. Congenital defects in Mammals: Mustelids • Impaired reproduction in otters in EU, and in Great Lakes. • Otters in Lower Columbia river had shorter baculums and smaller testes. • Eye defects linked with lower vit A • Endangered European mink in decline • Mink in British Columbia shorter baculum correlating to PCBs

13. Congenital defects in Polar Bears and Panthers • Suspected higher rates of female hermaphroditism in polluted Svalbaard. • Many of remaining small population of Florida panthers have undescended testes

14. Congenital defects in Black and Brown Bears • Retained testes in 11 of 71 black bears in Florida(4 old enough to be considered cryptorchid)(Dunbar 1996) • In Alberta Canada – 1988 – reported cases of masculinised females

15. Congenital defects in Mule Deer and White Tailed Deer • Abnormal testes and abnormal antlers in 27 of 116 adult male Mule deer around site on Columbia river USA (Tiller et al.1997) • Of 254 white tailed deer from Montana – 67% showed genital developmental abnormalities. (1996-2000) Mis-positioned genitals, undersized scrota, and un-descended testes(Hoy et al. 2002)

16. Congenital defects in male Sitka Black Tail Deer in Alaska Aliluik peninsula on Kodiak Island • 61 out of 94 were bilateral cryptorchid • 43 out of 94 had abnormal antlers • At least 2 of the 10 scrotal testes examined contained CIS cellsprecursors of seminoma (Veeramanchaneni et al. 2005)

17. Congenital defects in Eland in South Africa • Focal white gritty areas found in testes of all 11 eland. • Vacuolisation of sertoli cells • Impaired spermatogenesis • Testicular lesions associated with high NP? • First evidence of wildlife affected by EDCs in South Africa

18. Warning for male Homo Sapiens • Testicular dysgenesis now seen in many aquatic and terrestrial species. • Additive effects known to occur in vivo with anti-androgenic substances(Foster et al. 2000)(Gray et al. 2001)(Silva et al. 2002) • Swan 2005 – shows AGD and other effects linked to phthalate metabolites in mothers. • Baby boys – half the men their fathers are?

19. Warning: Immune suppression in wildlife is widespread • Birds in Gt Lakes - Herring Gulls, Black-crowned Herons, Caspian Terns in (2001) Great Lakes. • Snapping Turtles in (2001) in Gt Lakes • Loggerhead Turtles (2000/01) from North Carolina • Seals (and controlled feeding of seals with fish from polluted Waddon sea depressed immune system

20. Warning: Immune suppression in wildlife is widespread ..cont… • High rates of cancer in St Lawrence belugas. • Mice fed with fat replaced with beluga fat – show immune suppression • Immune suppression very evident in Svalbaard polar bears • Immune suppression found in Florida panther

21. Implications for humans? • Discuss – Rice oil - Inuit babies – Dutch cohort. DES children. > old age – autoimmune disease – arthritis. • Need to identify chemicals with immunotoxicant and/or ED action • Need tighter controls on EDCs • Need to bring EDCs under prior authorisation under REACH. Help!