SREL Reprint #3392

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) as sentinels of trace element contamination and physiological effects of exposure to coal fly ash

Felipe Hernández1,2, Ricki E. Oldenkamp3,4, Sarah Webster3,4, James C. Beasley3,4, Lisa L. Farina5, and Samantha M. Wisely1,2

1School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida,
103 Black Hall, PO Box 116455, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
2Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida,
110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, PO Box 110430, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
3Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
4Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia,
180 E Green Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA
5Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine,
University of Florida, 2015 SW 16th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA

Abstract: Anthropogenic pollutants disrupt global biodiversity, and terrestrial sentinels of pollution can provide a warning system for ecosystem-wide contamination. This study sought to assess whether raccoons (Procyon lotor) are sentinels of local exposure to trace element contaminants at a coal fly ash site and whether exposure resulted in health impairment or changes in the intestinal helminth communities. We compared trace element accumulation and the impact on health responses and intestinal helminth communities of raccoons inhabiting contaminated and reference sites of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (South Carolina, USA). Data on morphometry, hematology, histopathology, helminth community and abundance, and liver trace element burdens were collected from 15 raccoons captured adjacent to a coal fly ash basin and 11 raccoons from a comparable uncontaminated site nearby. Of eight trace elements analyzed, Cu, As, Se, and Pb were elevated in raccoons from the contaminated site. Raccoons from the contaminated site harbored higher helminth abundance than animals from the reference site and that abundance was positively associated with increased Cu concentrations. While we found changes in hematology associated with increased Se exposure, we did not find physiological or histological changes associated with higher levels of contaminants. Our results suggest that raccoons and their intestinal helminths act as sentinels of trace elements in the environment associated with coal fly ash contamination.

SREL Reprint #3392

Hernandez, F., R. E. Oldenkamp, S. Webster, J. C. Beasley, L. L. Farina, and S. M. Wisely. 2017. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) as sentinels of trace element contamination and physiological effects of exposure to coal fly ash. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 72(2): 235-246.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).