Document xjvqB0ENqDm9LKLDVkbL3oE61

I r f i' FRESENT STATUS OF PCEs IN POULTRY M !-1 Presented at CI arson Unlverlsty Poultry Health i Management Conference March 6-7, 1972 J. R. Harris North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina f On Juno .9, 1971, a condition In two-week old broiler chickens with symptoms similar to chick edema disease was seen. The most common symptoms were gasping and Incoordination of the head and neck Just prior to death. The most severely affected birds emitted a M squeaking sound. The mortality ran to 50t and the remainder were stunted to the point that they were destroyed. The condition occurred In several broiler flocks. On postmortem examination, most birds had a severe accumulation of fluid around the heart. A greenish-yellow geI at I nous-11ke fluid was found undor the skin of soire of the birds. The liver showed varying degreos of degeneration with a mottled to a roughened appearance resembling cirrhosis. The kldonys were swollen and pale with small hemorrhages. Some of the birds had a-white caseous-llke material, resembling a bacterial Infection, over tho heart and liver. There was Inflammation of the Intestinal tract bui I I no cxlenslvo enteritis. Tho digestive tract was usually empty. Because of the sporadic nature of tho condition and the resemblance of chick edema disease Itoxlc fat) or crotolarla poisoning, a toxic substance In tho fc;d or wator was suspected. Food and water from houses with affected chickens woro coll acted for analysis and a feeding experiment. . MONS 067678 -2- Slxty day-old broiler chicks from the same parent flock were equally divided and placed in a battery brooder. Twenty were given free access to the suspect feed, twenty to a known non-toxic feed that Is routinely fed In the Department, and twenty on non toxic feed and suspect water from broiler houses. All groups were observed dally as to appearance, feed and water consumption. At ten days of age, the chicks on suspect feed were not very active and would huddle close to source of heat. Feathers were ruffled and some were gasping. At fourteen days, half the birds on suspect feed had stopped eating and would not move. On the fifteenth day, ten birds died and the remainder were showing symptoms of gasping. The birds on control feed and suspect water were normal. . AH the birds on suspect feed were autopsied and had typical lesions as seen previously in birds dying In the broiler houses. In some of the birds we were able to withdraw 45 ml of fluid from their pericardial sac and peritoneal cavity. A samp Io of suspect feed was analyzed for chick edema factor, chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides, crotalaria seed and polychlorinated biphonyls (PCOs) as McCun9, ot a I. and Flick, ct al. hove described PCBs as producing lympto-j and lesions as we had observed. The Norlh Carolina Department of Agrlculturo seed laboratory found rio crotalaria seed. Analysis of Suspect Feed DDE (degradation product of DDT) DDO DDT PCB 1242 (polychlorinated biphenyl) BHC (bonrono hoxjchlorlde) CEF (chick edema factor) 1.50 ppm I.42 ppm 0.34 ppm 148.0 ppm 8.8 ppm 0 HONS 067679 ;i -5- The principal toxic Ingredient in the feed was considered to be PCB-1242. Wo reported our results to the various poultry companies involved in the problem and to the regulatory agencies. It was later determined that the only common ingredient that was being fed by the companies with the problem was Peruvian Fish Meal being shipped from East Coast Terminal, Wilmington, North Carolina. It was determined that Tharmonol-FR-I (Arachlor 1242 manufactured by Monsanto Chemical Company! was leaking In tho heat exchange system used to pasteurize fish meal to destroy salmonella. The Food end Drug Administration tested the processed fish meal and confirmed that fish meal on hand was contaminated with PCS. Continuing Investigation Indicated the leak began on April 30, 1971 and continued through July 16. Approximately 16,000 tons of fish meal were shipped during that porlod. individual fish meal samples examined contained from 14 to 3S0 ppm PCS. . The combined forces of the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture were set in motion to find the Incidence end levels Of PCS in meat and eggs. Invoices of fish meal shipments were obtained ar.d residua sampling for PCS began. The PCS family of Industrial chemicals has been used for more than 40 yenis.. PCS have been used In capacitors, as transformer fluids, as heat transfer agents. In plasticizers, printing Inks and carbonless carbon paper. Reports in tho foreign literature have shown that PCB are distributed world-wide and residues have been found in fish and wild birds. . Sos of Food and Drug Administration's earliest findings of PCS In foods occurred In 1969 when PCD woro found In milk. PC8 wore found In five of 12 milk samples from West Virginia. During tho investigation It Was loarnod that FC3 was commonly usod as a boat transfer agent in electrical' capacitors In tho MOMS 067680 v_ ; J -4- area from which milk samples were collected. Further investigations showed that the olectric company had allowed a right of way sprayer to utilize a transformer oil base for defoliant spraying. Vegetation collected from the power line right of -ay was found positive for PCB. The drift of the spray to an adjacent dairy pasture caused the PCB residue In milk. Other Instances of milk contaminated with PCB have been reported. One PCB has been used as an Ingredient In paints used to coat the interior wall of silos. Feeding of si lags from these silos has resulted In PCS residues In ml Ik. Toxlcfty of PCB to Poultry It has been determined that PCB 1242 Is more toxic to chickens than PCB 1254 end 1260. The l-est two digits of the number represent the percent of : i chlorine In the compound. As the chlorine In the PCB molecule decreases, 1i toxicity increases. ; l Toxicity 1742 to Chickens Horta11ty Ueval 5 wk 4 V'k pp,;,! J 100 0 0 :i 200 0 405 403 eot loot Toxicity 1254 to Chickens Level ppm too 200 400 ftortalIty 3 wk 4 wk 00 0 It 50$ It j Qb *QS () ,) -5- Toxicity 1260 to Chickens Level ppm tal > ty 3 w' 4 wk 100 0 0 200 0 0 400 0 6 There haw &een rep.:/ts of egg shall thinning in wild birds thaf h,}*c consumed tooa containing PCS, particularly fls* mating birds. This can bo due to /'CD's ability to activate enzymes in the liver which t'-ansfor/r. ^`rogens into a water soluble form that is readily eliminated from the bird's bodT, thereby affecting calcium utilization. A similar phenomenon occurs with 007 and sulfa drugs us they inhibit carbonic aniv, druse causing she I less cr thin shelled eggs. White Leghorn c.nickens have seen fed PCS 1242, 1254 and 1260 at 1, 1C and 100 ?p** in the diet. Egg production in hens ted PCB 1242 at ICO pp" or PCG 1254 at I0J pp- was much lower than egg production of control group. There was poor n jtch-abi I iiy of eggs from hens- fed I Co 1242 at 10 ppm. hvn* of the uejs hatched from hens fed PCP 1242 at 100 ppm or PCS 1254 at lOC pr>m. There were no significant differences in specific gravity among egg-, from treated or from control hens. The egg sr.o:is, however, from hens fed PCB i?4.'' jt 10 or 100 pen were not as thick us the shells from hens on < r.r-1 diet. . Therefore, the ingestion of PCLi 124? at i ppm or PCP 1254 at 10 ppr anc PCB 1*60 at I, 10 or 100 ppm caused no apparent affect on mature chlchor-. or their ejg". h-;c**/, hens fed PCB I.'42 .jt 10 or 100 ppm cr PC0 1254 at0C ;-pm did not produ.o ar. many eggs as coi*rol, hud M:n shells nnc reducedh ;r* src i I i t1 MQNS 067662 -6- . ... ... .>**. In , VCB with the feast amount ot cM^r-ine are more toxic. These cl>e>r.c.tiv are cumulative being deros'tea in *atty tissue of the body* Foul:ry is oxposed to chlorinated hydrocarbirs including KC0 either Cy ingestion of contaminated feed or use of these chemicals in the environment. A continuous residue problem can result in the f'v*d chain fr..r the above or f!'>e recycl ing of rendered anhnarl ttsscre. An example of this- would he: Animal Feed Cc^n, soybeans, fishmeal, animal tat. meat and bone meal, barmyda grass and alfalfa i Fad to Animals fi'tfncdiate toxic effect* due to high level contamination, low level effects from contaminated ingredients i Residua develops In near, milk ena o-jgs Human Hazard Build up of tissue residue ir an-i*-ils Rnedered animal oy-products recycled inrg animal feed. HOI*S 067<>83