The white-tailed ptarmigan may be the first of several wildlife species to feel the effects of cadmium toxicity, according to a recent study. Excavated in the Rockies for more than a century, cadmium is a silver-white metal used in rechargeable batteries, alloys and galvanized chrome on auto parts and appliances. Cadmium usually finds its way into the environment through ore tailings at abandoned mine sites. In the white-tailed ptarmigan, a member of the grouse family, cadmium was found to cause kidney damage, which reduces the bird's ability to process calcium. All Rights Reserved Talk Back Let us know what you think about this story in ENN's Forum Discussion Area.
Birds are exceptionally good indicators of environmental problems.
Because they have to eat a lot to stay alive, high levels of contaminants go through their system. The study was published in the journal Nature . Learn more about Cadmium toxicity at a site offered by Health World. Larison is persuing his doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University .